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Justin Gaethje admits to fighting Charles Oliveira injured at UFC 274.
It’s not uncommon for fighters to enter the cage injured, but fighting with any head injury is concerning. ‘The Highlight’ lost a thrilling title fight against Oliveira by first-round submission in May. Six months later, Gaethje has revealed he endured a vicious bicycle incident less than a month before UFC 274. MMA Junkie’s Nolan King made the report on Twitter by saying:
“Justin Gaethje just revealed he suffered a vicious bike crash 18 days prior to his #UFC274 title challenge vs. Charles Oliveira in May. Smashed head on pavement, had vision issues, and road rash.”
Gaethje’s loss to Oliveira was the second time he failed to win an undisputed UFC championship. At 33, the always-entertaining lightweight contender still has time to make another run for the title. Although he’s arguably one win away from another title fight, matchmaking in the lightweight division is tricky due to the business side of MMA that combines top contenders and superstars.
Watch the ending sequence for Gaethje vs. Oliveira at UFC 274 below:
Justin Gaethje names two opponents he would like to fight next
What’s next for Justin Gaethje? Well, ‘The Highlight’ finds himself stuck between fighting a rising contender like Rafael Fiziev, Mateusz Gamrot, and Beneil Dariush. The other option is a big-name superstar he’s already fought like Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler, or Dustin Poirier. Jose Youngs of MMAFighting recently found out who Gaethje wants to fight next, and he had this to say on Twitter:
“Justin Gaethje tells us both Rafael Fiziev and Charles Oliveira make sense for his next fight #UFC”
Any Gaethje fight is entertaining, but the thought of him taking on Fiziev is vastly intriguing. The only concern would be, does he earn a title shot with a win against ‘Ataman’? Meanwhile, a decisive win against Oliveira, the number one contender, would likely get him a title fight. This of course is depending on what happens with Chandler vs. Poirier and Alexander Volkanovski moving up. For now, ‘The Highlight’ seems ready for whoever the UFC puts in front of him.
Watch a legendary highlight from Gaethje vs. Chandler at UFC 268 below:
