Ali Abdelaziz claims Justin Gaethje will 'smash' Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor
Khabib Nurmagomedov might be Ali Abdelaziz's most high-profile client, but he is definitely not the only one.
Among the many other UFC fighters he represents, Justin Gaethje is one, and Ali Abdelaziz has made a very bold claim on behalf of 'The Highlight'.
Ali Abdelaziz believes Justin Gaethje will finish all the top-ranked Lightweights
Just Gaethje last fought Ali Abdelaziz's biggest client, Khabib Nurmagomedov, at UFC 254. He lost the fight via second-round submission, but the respect between the two camps was palpable.
When Khabib Nurmagomedov broke down in tears on the Octagon floor after fighting and winning his first bout since losing his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje went ahead and comforted him in a lovely display of sportsmanship.
Ali Abdelaziz took to Twitter today to claim that Justin Gaethje can easily beat up the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranked UFC Lightweights. Gaethje is currently the #1 contender, while Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, and Conor McGregor are at #2, #3, and #4 respectively.
Justin Gaethje defeated #3 ranked Tony Ferguson to earn his way to the title match with Khabib Nurmagomedov. 'The Highlight' and 'El Cucuy' almost went all five rounds, but Gaethje knocked Ferguson out with a little more than a minute left in the fight.
But what Ali Abdelaziz did not mention here was that Justin Gaethje has already lost to Dustin Poirier once. In only the second loss of his career, Gaethje was finished by 'The Diamond' at UFC on FOX 29 in a fourth-round knockout.
What does the UFC Lightweight division look like?
Both Dana White and Ali Abdelaziz are claiming that Khabib Nurmagomedov is not done yet - he will come back for at least another fight. But whether that fight will be an official title defense or not is questionable, especially if the fight is against Georges St-Pierre like Ali Abdelaziz has claimed.
However, the 155-pound belt is still owned by Khabib Nurmagomedov and is not vacated yet. Many are wondering whether the title will be on the line for the January 23rd fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, although Dana White has denied the possibility of that happening.
If Khabib Nurmagomedov really remains retired, then there will definitely be future fights where Justin Gaethje faces the other top contenders of the division for the title. Whether he can 'smash' them or not will be for the fans to see when the time comes.