UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje admits he may never have beaten Khabib Nurmagomedov despite winning first round

Justin Gaethje has admitted he still does not know whether he could have beaten Khabib Nurmagomedov in their UFC 254 fight. Gaethje won the opening round on two of the three judges’ scorecards. However, the UFC lightweight champion said the effort required to survive Khabib’s pressure left him with little energy for what followed.“I wasn’t gonna win that fight after the first round,” Gaethje said. He said that winning the first round had taken everything out of him. Khabib eventually took Gaethje down early in the second round and submitted him with a triangle choke at 1:34. The loss was Gaethje’s only fight against the undefeated Russian.Justin Gaethje says Khabib Nurmagomedov’s pressure changed the fightJustin Gaethje entered UFC 254 as one of the biggest threats to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s undefeated record. The fight took place on October 24, 2020, on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Khabib was defending his UFC lightweight title.Gaethje started strongly. He attacked Khabib’s lead leg with powerful kicks and looked to keep the fight standing. His striking gave Nurmagomedov problems during the opening minutes.The first round was extremely demanding for both fighters. Khabib continued moving forward and applying Nurmagomedov. He also secured a takedown late in the round and moved into a dominant position.Despite that, two judges scored the round 10-9 for Gaethje. Derek Cleary gave the round to Khabib.Gaethje has now opened up on how much energy he had used during those five minutes. He said on One Night With Steiny, “I beat Khabib in the first round on two of the three scorecards, and it took everything in my body to win that first round. I wasn’t going to win after that. I think it could have been just his pressure.”The second round showed exactly what Gaethje was talking about.Gaethje opened the round with another heavy leg kick. Khabib timed it perfectly. He caught the kick and immediately closed the distance.Gaethje tapped, but referee Jason Herzog did not immediately see it. The submission continued until Gaethje lost consciousness at 1:34 of the second round.The victory moved Khabib’s professional record to 29-0. He then shocked the MMA world by announcing his retirement. Khabib removed his gloves and placed them inside the Octagon.The fight also became an important part of Khabib’s legacy. He officially lost only two rounds on judges’ scorecards during his professional career.The first came against Conor McGregor at UFC 229. McGregor won the third round on all three scorecards before Khabib finished him by submission in the fourth.The second was the opening round against Gaethje.Khabib went on to retire undefeated after UFC 254. Gaethje, meanwhile, continued competing at the top level of the lightweight division.For Gaethje, the question of whether a rematch would have produced a different result remains unanswered. He has acknowledged that the energy required to deal with Khabib in the first round made the rest of the fight extremely difficult.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.