"The water wasn't the same, the food wasn't the same" - Justin Gaethje confident upcoming title fight will be more comfortable than Khabib Nurmagomedov bout in Abu Dhabi
Justin Gaethje revealed that he's in a better headspace going into his championship bout against Charles Oliveira at UFC 274, compared to his previous title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Gaethje claimed that fighting in Abu Dhabi at UFC 254 presented challenges that led to his poor performance against 'The Eagle'. His second crack at the lightweight crown will be much different, though.
For one, Gaethje will be fighting from the comfort of his home state of Phoenix, Arizona – something he didn't have access to against Nurmagomedov. According to 'The Highlight', that alone gives him the confidence he'll perform at his best. During an interview with Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, the title challenger stated:
"The crazy thing is that there are so many factors in that experience that are not here. I mean, if you're a creature of habit you are so f***ed going to Abu Dhabi. The water wasn't the same, the food wasn't the same, the time wasn't the same. So you could throw all those excuses in the way, but now, in this fight, I will be a creature of habit and I will get to go to the process that I'm comfortable with that brings me confidence going into this fight."
Check out Justin Gaethje's interview below:
In the aftermath of his loss to 'The Eagle,' Gaethje has since been vocal about his rough experiences in Abu Dhabi. He revealed that he didn't take too well to making the adjustments to fighting in a foreign country, and that his heart rate was unusually high the morning of his fight.
Justin Gaethje believes Charles Oliveira thinks he's "infallible"
Justin Gaethje is of the opinion that Charles Oliveira is overconfident heading into their championship bout on Saturday. Assessing his opponent, Gaethje said:
"Also, your 'why' is everything. Khabib's 'why' that night, the passing of his father with him having the knowledge that it's going to be his last fight. You know, [that's] larger than life. Maybe Charles is there, but from what he's saying, he thinks he's infallible and those [lines of thinking] aren't the best for the fight."
Nonetheless, Gaethje acknowledged that he's fighting an improved version of Oliveira. He once said that the Brazilian had quit in him, but now believes Oliveira has shown maturity in his past couple of fights.