Read on TwitterWhy you should give Justin Gaejthe a chance at beating UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. #UFC254
GAEJTHE THREADhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✨" title="Funken" aria-label="Emoji: Funken">Why you should give Justin Gaejthe a chance at beating UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. #UFC254 https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">" title="https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✨" title="Funken" aria-label="Emoji: Funken"> GAEJTHE THREADhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="✨" title="Funken" aria-label="Emoji: Funken">Why you should give Justin Gaejthe a chance at beating UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. #UFC254 https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
Khabib v Gaejthe will come down to who can implement their game while taking away what their opponent’s game. Positioning relative to the cage is so important against Khabib, in this clip Gaejthe circles off the cage, drawing Tony onto a right hand off the backfoot.
Gaejthe’s constant lateral movement & direction changes keep opponents turning to face him, making it difficult to plant and throw. This can be used to bait entries once he plants, here he uses it to frustrate Tony as he leads him around the cage.
Half steps & dips in weight to disguise his eventual entries. Here he uses a cross-step to get Tony squared up before circling out. It’s important because Khabib doesn’t have great cage-cutting footwork, Gaejthe can potentially lead him onto counters while avoiding the cage.
Khabib relies on the cage to reactively shoot, in a situation where you’re on the backfoot as hes walking you down. Those situations can be taken away by good positioning and ringcraft, either by pivoting off or by methodically pressuring him.
Khabib’s preferred weapon in open space is the jab. It might seem like a good jab, but it comes out at the same speed, rhythm, angle, doesn’t cover the chin w the shoulder, he’s reliant on his opponent walking into it, drops it on retraction & he only throws it while moving left.
I’m about 100% sure Gaejthe’s cross-counter will land clean over Khabib’s jab. Justin’s too sharp of a counterpuncher and if he takes a methodical approach to pressuring & baiting the jab, it’ll discourage khabib from throwing & he’ll only look to initiate grappling exchanges.
Gaejthe has always punished jabs with counter lowkicks. When the opponent throws a jab, they take an additional step forward. If you park on the edge of range to bait it, they’re basically handing you a free kick. Gaejthe’s lowkicks also discourage forward & lateral movement.
Why dont they just counter the kicks you ask? Gaejthe has built in defense, taking his head off the centerline. When he kicks in the pocket, he’ll begin rolling under to load the counter left hook on his exit.
Gaejthe can exploit Khabib’s level changes and resets with these.
Gaejthe can exploit Khabib’s level changes and resets with these.
Justin has proven to be competent in closing the door with his left hook, wether its in the pocket or from shifting off the right hand to close distance. His left hook is versatile, he can throw it short or long, & can take additional steps to catch you as you’re on the backfoot.
Note Gaejthe’s proactive head movement when he shifts off the right hand, he folds over the lead hip to avoid the counter & throw a full beat behind the right. The right hand (misses) but serves to off-balance the opponent, which disrupts the timing & mechanics on their counter.
Watch how much space Khabib gives up when Poirier steps into the lowkick.
When Poirier enters on a shifting overhand, Khabib’s initial defensive response is to pull his head behind his stance, square up and throw a non-committal jab. I cant look at this and think Gaejthe wont exploit these lazy reactions.
Poirier could’ve benefited from kicking the legs while pressuring. Khabib’s a non threat off the backfoot, fighters always target the head when he’s open to the body and rarely can he shoot with his head behind his stance. Gaejthe can cut off the exits with the lowkicks.
Khabib has shown a tendency to lead with uppercuts mainly to stand guys up for his eventual level changes.
Gaejthe has shown to be competent at planting and countering these entries, also watch how he punishes Tony’s flying shit and his attempt at grabbing the ankle.
Gaejthe has shown to be competent at planting and countering these entries, also watch how he punishes Tony’s flying shit and his attempt at grabbing the ankle.
