With a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson close to being finalized, top lightweight contender Justin Gaethje will be watching closely.

UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov is expected to face former UFC interim lightweight champ Ferguson on April 18, pending negotiations from Ferguson’s side.

With Nurmagomedov and Ferguson looking to make their fifth booking the charm (four previously scheduled fights between the two have been scrapped), Gaethje proceeded to break down how he sees the fight playing out on a recent episode of Michael Bisping’s “Believe You Me” podcast.

“I do think Khabib will win,” Gaethje said. “But I do think Tony is going to bring some … I don’t know if he’s going to lay on his back and throw elbows, I don’t know what the hell is going to happen there.

“Especially the way Khabib fights, and the way Khabib wins. It’s crazy how much and how hard Tony gets hit, how often he gets hit at fights but I don’t think that’s going to be a problem for him in this fight because Khabib is not going to be looking to exploit that, that option. He’s going to do what he does. I’m really interested to see if Tony, his jiu-jitsu, for one, plays a factor, and for two, just his tenaciousness of being on bottom and still wanting to fight.”

Gaethje has won three straight fights by first-round knockout and finds himself in a bit of a quandary. He has expressed interest in facing Conor McGregor next, but with the UFC rumored to book McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone, where does that leave Gaethje?

All he knows is, his ultimate goal is to challenge Nurmagomedov.

“I’m trying to get to Khabib,” Gaethje said. “Khabib, I know, has publicly stated he does not have many fights left, so I have to fight him before he goes away. I can’t let him go undefeated without at least testing, being able to test him myself. I consider myself one of the most dangerous lightweights in the world and I bring different things that Khabib hasn’t had to deal with, necessarily. I have crazy power in my legs, in my arms, in my hands. I’m really good at wrestling. I’m super athletic. I’ve been wrestling as long as he has. Nobody has wrestled as long as he has except for me. So I’m trying to ultimately get that fight.”

Gallery Justin Gaethje def. Donald Cerrone at UFC on ESPN+ 16: Best photos view 19 images

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