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UFC 254 goes down this weekend, and in the main event, UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov defends his title against possibly his most dangerous opponent yet – knockout artist Justin Gaethje.
Despite Gaethje’s hot streak – he’s won his last four fights by stoppage – Khabib will still be the hot favorite coming into the clash at the weekend. However, many fans believe that The Highlight could turn out to be Khabib’s kryptonite.
So what if that turns out to be true? What would happen to Khabib if he comes away from UFC 254 with a 28-1 record? Well, he’d almost definitely be looking for a fight to bounce back with.
With that in mind, here are five potential opponents for Khabib should he lose to Gaethje at UFC 254.
#1 Khabib vs. Conor McGregor
Khabib might claim that he isn’t interested in a rematch with Conor McGregor. Still, the truth is that The Notorious One might be his most suitable opponent anyway, whether he wins or loses at the weekend. After all, the two drew a massive 2.4 million pay-per-view buys in 2018 at UFC 229. And so a rematch could trigger the biggest buy-rate in UFC history.
That alone would make both men millions of dollars. But while Khabib has claimed he’s not really interested in that, things might change if he were to lose to Justin Gaethje.
With a loss to his name, suddenly, Khabib’s aura of invincibility would be well and truly cracked. And who knows how big of a draw he’d be without his huge winning streak? That means that The Eagle would need a massive – but winnable – fight to bounce back with. And so who better as an opponent than McGregor?
The backstory between the two obviously sells itself, as the duo have continued to snipe at each other on social media despite their UFC 229 showdown. And more to the point, the fight might feel relatively safe for Khabib based on how much he dominated McGregor two years ago.
Essentially, if Khabib beats Gaethje, he’s probably got the star power to be able to turn a McGregor fight down. But coming off a loss, it might be too tempting to refuse.
#2 Khabib vs. Colby Covington
Okay, so at a glance, this fight sounds right out of left field. However, in the right circumstances, it could make more sense than first meets the eye. And those circumstances could well involve Khabib losing to Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
Should Khabib lose to The Highlight, then while it’d be tempting for him to look to win the UFC Lightweight title back, The Eagle might have other ideas. He’s struggled to make the 155lbs cut-off for the Lightweight division in the past, so why not make the move up to 170lbs?
And if he were to move up to Welterweight, then while a title fight with Kamaru Usman would be off the table, a fight with Colby Covington would definitely be intriguing.
As one of the very best wrestlers in the whole UFC, Chaos would definitely be able to test Khabib’s grappling. In fact, he might well be capable of putting The Eagle on his back, something we’ve never seen before in the UFC.
And that’s before even considering the amount of trash-talk that could go on between the two.
Would Covington be down for this fight? Almost definitely. Thus far, his brash persona hasn’t translated into pay-per-view buys. But a fight with a star like Khabib would almost certainly give him more spotlight than he’s ever had before.
Essentially, the clash of styles and the potential classic promos would make this one a must-see.
#3 Khabib vs. Nate Diaz
Another option for Khabib, should he choose to move up to 170lbs, could be a fight with Nate Diaz. Stockton’s favorite son hasn’t fought since his loss to Jorge Masvidal in November 2019. However, he remains one of the UFC’s most popular fighters – and more to the point, he’s also one of the promotion’s biggest draws.
That drawing power would definitely make him a good opponent for Khabib if The Eagle were to lose to Justin Gaethje. Sure, Diaz is renowned for his toughness and his all-round skills. But he’s also a fighter whose reputation arguably outshines his UFC record. Overall, Diaz is 20-12 and has 10 losses in the UFC alone.
The general feeling around Khabib would usually suggest that he definitely wouldn’t look for a softball fight. But coming off his first loss, The Eagle would probably be looking for a good stylistic clash to rebound with. And Diaz would certainly fit the bill.
The longtime veteran has excellent boxing skills, and he’s dangerous on the ground. But he’s also highly susceptible to the takedowns of strong wrestlers – and they don’t come much stronger than Khabib in that department.
Add in the fact that the Dagestani would probably love to shut Diaz up when you consider how much trash he’s talked about him over the years, and this is a fight that would make plenty of sense, especially if Khabib were to lose to Gaethje.
#4 Khabib vs. Charles Oliveira
While it might sound like good business to book Khabib in a fight with someone like McGregor or Diaz should he lose to Gaethje, the UFC could well throw a curveball and go in another direction entirely. The promotion often looks to book former champions against up-and-coming contenders, and right now, there are no up-and-comers at 155lbs hotter than Charles Oliveira.
Do Bronx has slowly grown into one of the most dangerous Lightweights on the planet, and right now, he’s on an impressive seven-fight win streak. He’s also finished every one of those seven fights, either by submission or TKO. In fact, he holds the record for the most submission wins in UFC history with 14.
Essentially, he’s a fighter who just needs a big fight to really make his mark. So why would a fight with Oliveira make more sense for Khabib than a fight with say, Paul Felder or Dan Hooker?
The reason is simple: Oliveira would offer the kind of submission threat from his back that Khabib has never faced before in his entire MMA career. Most fighters appear lost when Khabib puts them on their back, but would that be the case for Do Bronx?
In all honesty, it’s doubtful. The Brazilian loves nothing better than to attempt to hunt for submissions – even low-percentage ones like anaconda chokes and calf slicers – from the bottom position.
So could he withstand the kind of assault that Khabib can bring and become the first man to submit him – something Gaethje isn’t likely to do even if he wins? Or would he simply become a victim of an angry Khabib looking for a rebound win? Either way, this fight would be a must-see.
#5 Khabib vs. Justin Gaethje
Naturally, if we’re talking about a potential next opponent for Khabib should he lose to Justin Gaethje, you can’t look much further than a rematch with Gaethje himself. It’s a well-known fact that the UFC is incredibly fond of instant rematches in title fights. These include ones that didn’t end in close fashion, and with a dominant champion like Khabib, that tendency only becomes magnified.
Going back at least a decade, it’s nearly impossible to find a dominant UFC champion who was dethroned and wasn’t given an immediate rematch, with the likes of BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk coming to mind. And of course, Khabib is comfortably as dominant as any of those fighters.
It’s also a proven fact that title rematches draw big money on pay-per-view, especially if the champion was upset in the first meeting. Look at Silva’s fights with Chris Weidman, for instance. UFC 162 saw Weidman knock The Spider out on a show that drew 550k pay-per-view buys. The rematch at UFC 168, however, drew well over a million buys.
When you take all of that into account, as well as Khabib’s position as arguably the UFC’s top star right now, it’s almost impossible to imagine a scenario in which he wouldn’t be granted an immediate rematch with Gaethje.
Therefore, if Khabib does somehow lose that gaudy undefeated record this weekend, the most likely follow-up from the UFC would be to give The Eagle a chance to avenge that first loss and regain his aura.
