Khabib predicts fight of the year after Gaethje promises 'zone of death'

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Moscow, August 12: Khabib Nurmagomedov welcomed Justin Gaethje's bold promises as he predicted "the best fight this year" on October 24.

The pair will go head to head in a lightweight unification bout at UFC 254.

Khabib is the current champion but his withdrawal from UFC 249 due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic saw Gaethje step in and beat Tony Ferguson for the interim title.

Gaethje now fancies his chances against the Russian, telling Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast: "There's going to be a zone in front of me.

"It's not very big. It's going to be a zone of death, and I have to represent death every time he enters the zone. That's what I'm the best at, creating carnage, creating car crashes.

"My only goal when I step in there is to create as many car crashes as possible, whether it be our bodies hitting, our heads hitting, our shoulders hitting, our fists hitting, my fist hitting his head, his fist hitting my head.

"It doesn't matter. I need to create car crashes, because that's the only way to beat this guy."

Khabib appears to be relishing the challenge, though, as he swiftly responded.

Posting a comment on Instagram, he wrote: "Class. I like how he talks and his confidence.

"So this fight promises to be the best fight this year. I have something to show the world."

There had been speculation Khabib would retire from the sport after losing his father at the age of 57 in July, but his manager refuted that claim before UFC president Dana White confirmed the Gaethje fight.