UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje fights division champ Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 254 on October 24. Gaethje has gone 5-2 in the UFC, winning nine performance bonuses in the process. During his initial year in the big show, Gaethje was overly ready to throw down, and went 1-2, but has settled down some since, and is on a four-fight win streak. And he’s fighting a champion who has lost one round in the UFC since his league debut in 2012.
Still, during a UFC 254 con call with media members, Gaethje’s confidence was high.
It’s the biggest fight of my life – absolutely. There’s no doubt about it, said Gaethje. I’m not going to let outside influences influence the way I need to think or act or prepare. It’s really just staying true to my belief, which is be better than yesterday, make better choices than yesterday. I’ve been doing that for eight weeks, and I’ve got three and a half more. I’ll be ready as I possibly can be.
My confidence is probably my biggest factor right now, paired with the power that I possess, paired with the coach that I have. That’s a dangerous combination. I don’t care if I win or lose, at the end of the day, as long as I make my family happy, as long as I’m proud of my performance, then it doesn’t matter. That’s what makes me most dangerous. I don’t know if he’s ever fought someone like that – he probably has.
And another factor is a lot of hard work, a lot of skill and a little bit of luck in this game. Anybody can go to sleep. He’s a fool if he doesn’t think he can go to sleep.
h/t Nolan King and Matt Erickson for MMA Junkie
