KUALA LUMPUR – Tomorrow morning at 2am, UFC 254 begins with the main card seeing Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov facing Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje.
Khabib, the unbeaten Dagestani wrestler-cum-sambo fighter is very much expected to beat Justin through his superior grappling prowess.
On the other hand, Justin, while his fists are known to be able to turn out the lights of almost anyone, may find that his striking is not enough to beat the Dagestani champion.
Fortunately, Justin will be entering the fight with more than just the power from his hands.
The American fighter was actually an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler, who may have the skills to scramble out of Khabib's takedowns.
But the thing is, Justin acknowledged that his wrestling skills would only be useful in terms of defence, and its style is explosive - meaning he will be spending a lot of energy.
While Justin may be able to defend against one takedown, Khabib is known to keep going at it until he has his opponent wrapped up in his holds, imposing his bodyweight to tire them quickly and go in for the submission.
But, Justin may have another tactic in his arsenal - one of the best footwork in the game.
If there's one thing we have learnt from Justin's bout with Tony Ferguson a few months ago, Justin knows how to manage his distance in the octagon. And with distance, it would prove difficult for wrestlers to go in for takedowns.
Justin is expected to use low kicks to Khabib's calves taking away the Dagestani's composure and power to shoot in for takedowns.
But then again, Khabib's striking and footwork is severely underrated. While he doesn't rely on striking like most stand up fighters, he has proven his worth while standing.
He may not stand up and strike like most fighters, but that's only attributed to the fact that he is a sambo fighter. And in sambo, strikes are used to set up takedowns.
Plus, with the death of Khabib's father, who is also his long time trainer, we are yet to see how that element would come into play in the octagon tomorrow. – The Vibes, October 24, 2020
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