"He's out here copying my moves" - Justin Gaethje weighs in on Islam Makhachev's KO of Alexander Volkanovski as he eyes title shot

Justin Gaethje recently shared a rather humorous take on Islam Makhachev's head kick KO of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 last weekend, claiming that the lightweight champ is copying his style.

Makhachev faced off against Volkanovski in Abu Dhabi in an epic rematch of their clash earlier this year at UFC Perth.

'The Great' accepted the bout on short notice following Charles Oliveira's withdrawal due to injury, but Volkanovski was brimming with confidence and predicted an early finish.

Many months ago, Justin Gaethje had dismissed comparisons of Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, with 'The Highlight' believing 'The Eagle' to be far superior to his close friend and teammate.

But Islam Makhachev stunned those who watched by landing a superb head kick that sent 'The Great' crashing to the canvas in round one. The lightweight champion followed up with brutal ground-and-pound strikes that forced the referee to intervene.

Justin Gaethje was interviewed by Marc Raimondi of ESPN MMA following UFC 294 last weekend, where he said:

"I knew [Islam] was gonna win, especially on [short] notice... I thought it would go longer, I thought it would be a stalemate in the first round and Makhachev would take over after that."

He continued:

"I think that makes him extra dangerous. I think he's out here copying my moves, he's obviously watching me. So yeah, it's good. I'm excited to fight him, before the fight I said he wasn't Khabib, but I guess I'm just gonna have to f**k around and find out 'cause I'm not sure."

Watch the video below from 0:45:

Justin Gaethje's jest about Islam Makhachev copying his moves stems from his head kick KO over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 earlier this year.

---

Max Holloway calls for BMF clash with Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje was crowned the BMF title holder following his KO win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.

'The Highlight' is a perennial title contender, and following Islam Makhachev's victory over Alexander Volkanovski last weekend, Gaethje could face him next given Charles Oliveira's recent injury.

During the aforementioned interview with ESPN MMA, Gaethje was asked who he would be interested in defending his BMF title against if he did not face Makhachev next.

Gaethje named Max Holloway, but then clarified that he had no intention of actually fighting 'Blessed'. He said:

"I would say Holloway, but I don't ever want to fight Holloway. I just don't wanna punch him, it's not necessary." [13:22-13:37]

Holloway then came across an article posted by Marc Raimondi online about Gaethje's willingness to wait for a lightweight title fight, and wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"If you change your mind bratha, how about one for the fans? #BMF"