Justin Gaethje recently shared his thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov lauding his striking power. Gaethje acknowledged Nurmagomedov's praise while pointing out that the Dagestani grappling savant still beat him.Nurmagomedov and Gaethje went up against each other in a lightweight title fight at UFC 254 in October 2020. Despite Gaethje's best striking efforts, Nurmagomedov caught 'The Highlight' in a triangle choke and secured a second-round submission. This would mark Nurmagomedov's final outing in the UFC and he announced his retirement from the sport in his post-fight octagon interview.Later, 'The Eagle' praised Gaethje for his striking prowess during an interview and claimed that the American was the hardest hitter he ever faced in the cage. In a recent interview, Gaethje reacted to Nurmagomedov's comments and said:"I hit him really hard, I hit him really hard. I kicked him really hard. I hit him with a good right hand. Hearing Khabib say I hit the hardest doesn't feel that good because he still beat me. I still did not win the championship. I mean, it's cool."When Justin Gaethje claimed Islam Makhachev would be "a better matchup" for him than Khabib NurmagomedovEarlier this year, Justin Gaethje explained his desire to face Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title fight. Gaethje also claimed that Makhachev would be a better matchup for him than Khabib Nurmagomedov and called 'The Eagle' his toughest opponent ever.During a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, 'The Highlight' outlined his take on the matter and said:"I want to fight Makhachev, he is the champ, and I do believe that he is a better matchup for me than Khabib. He's good... I think Khabib was probably the one that I felt even if I performed better, I'm not sure that if I could've beaten him that night specifically. That night that I fought Khabib, I would say he is my toughest opponent to date."