Justin Gaethje potentially cageside for Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2: “I’m not against it”

By Josh Evanoff - August 8, 2023

Justin Gaethje is open to facing off with the winner of Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira at UFC 294.

Justin Gaethje, Islam Makhachev, and Charles Oliveira

‘The Highlight’ is fresh off his rematch against Dustin Poirier late last month in Utah. Five years after ‘The Diamond’ scored a knockout win, Justin Gaethje got his revenge in the main event of UFC 291. In the opening seconds of the second frame, he scored a highlight-reel stoppage victory.

Following the knockout win, Justin Gaethje called to face the winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira. In October, the two will have a rematch of their lightweight title bout that happened last fall at UFC 280. There, the Russian scored a second-round submission win to win the vacant gold.

Now, Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira will run it back in the main event of UFC 294 later this year. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Justin Gaethje revealed that he might be in attendance for the event. While he currently has no plans to book a ticket to Abu Dhabi, he would be down for a face-off post-fight.

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Justin Gaethje

“If Makhachev wins I’m sure he’ll want to fight again before Ramadan,” Justin Gaethje stated in the interview discussing Islam Makhachev’s rematch with Charles Oliveira. “So, I think, February or March… Charles, if he wins, I have no idea when we fight. I have no plans [to currently attend the fight] but I’m not against it. You know, I didn’t get to experience [Abu Dhabi] I was locked up in a hotel.”

He continued, “I didn’t see the sun for ten days before I fought. So I know when I go out there and COVID isn’t a thing I’ll be able to enjoy the culture more, enjoy the food. So I’m not against going out there to watch it… If it’s for a world title we’ll do some crazy things.”

What do you make of these comments from Justin Gaethje? Are you excited about Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira 2?