Justin Gaethje has vowed to leave Charles Oliveira's face disfigured in their UFC 274 title fight if the Brazilian cannot take him down.
Gaethje looks to end Oliveira's reign as lightweight champion this Saturday when the pair meet in Arizona. The 33-year-old came up short in his first title fight, but has since got back in the win column to find himself ranked No.1 in the weight class.
Nicknamed 'The Highlight' for his exciting fighting style, Gaethje is known for his heavy hands and high knockout rate. In his interim title win two years ago, Gaethje left the face of Tony Ferguson bloodied and badly disfigured after stopping him in the final round.
Speaking recently with Yahoo Sports, Gaethje warned Oliveira that he will suffer the same fate: "I think he's gonna have to get it to the ground. If not, his face is gonna look like Tony Ferguson's," he said.
Gaethje began wrestling when he was just four years old and reached the NCAA Divison I, wrestling's most prestigious division, during his time in college. He was later inducted into his university's wrestling hall of fame for his wrestling achievements.
"When I was a great wrestler, it was because of my defensive wrestling. It was extremely hard to score [a takedown] on me and nobody could hold me down. That's why I pride myself in, once they're mentally and physically broken I can have my way," he said.
"In my whole career, 26 fights, I've been taken down maybe once or twice. If they think it's gonna be easy they should have a coach to slap them on the side of their head and be like 'what are you talking about? The f*** you mean this is gonna be easy?'".
Who wins at UFC 274 - Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
Despite his wrestling pedigree, Gaethje has only attempted one takedown during his nine fights in the UFC. He will look to avoid going to the ground with Oliveira as the Brazilian is known for his grappling skills and has the most submission wins in UFC history.
But Oliveira isn't just focusing on taking Gaethje down in their title fight as said on the UFC 274 countdown show: "Justin is a guy who is a brawler, believing in his hands 100 per cent because that's all he's got, his hands.
"I have all the advantages over him, I'm better on my feet, on the ground and at wrestling. My mind and spirit is better than his. I'm the champion, that's the reality."
