Watch: Justin Gaethje eats devastating head kick while sparring with teammate
Justin Gaethje is currently in preparation for his fight against Charles Oliveira. In the lead-up to his upcoming lightweight title bout, Gaethje is fully focused on training, so much so that he is willing to take brutal head kicks in sparring.
In January, it was reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA that Gaethje was set to meet Oliveira on May 7, 2022. Per UFC president Dana White, the two men are set to fight for the UFC lightweight title later this year.
In a clip posted by MMA Uncensored on Twitter, Gaethje is seen taking a head kick from a teammate, who appears to be Muhammad Naimov. 'The Highlight' seems completely unbothered by the kick, rubbing it off comprehensively. Check out the footage below:
As of right now, the location and venue for Gaethje vs. Oliveira is yet to be officially confirmed. However, both fighters seem to be in full preparation for their next big fight.
The reigning UFC lightweight champion also took to social media to react to the confirmation of the bout. 'Do Bronx' posted the following on Twitter:
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Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach Javier Mendez believes Justin Gaethje is capable of finishing Charles Oliveira
While appearing on The Schmozone podcast, Javier Mendez said that he believes the only difference between Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier & Michael Chandler is that 'The Highlight' is more of a 'killer'.
Mendez thinks that if 'The Highlight' hurts Oliveira, he will be able to finish him. He stated:
"Can Justin hurt him like that right away? The only difference I think, in my personal opinion, is that Justin is more of a killer. If he hurts Charles, he just might finish him. We won’t know until the fight happens, but this is what I say - early I give Justin, late I give Oliveira. He’s shown that, he’s shown that he’s resilient and he comes on stronger, he gets better as the rounds go on.”
Watch Javier Mendez's interview on The Schmozone podcast below:
Gaethje will be heading into the title fight against Oliveira on the back of a brutal win over Michael Chandler at UFC 268.