‘We’re Trying To Solve The Puzzle That’s Khabib’

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How do you solve a problem like Maria?

I have no idea, but it’s gotta be a helluva lot easier than solving a problem like Khabib, who is undefeated at 28-0 and quite possibly the most dominant lightweight fighter to ever compete in mixed martial arts (MMA).

That won’t stop Justin Gaethje from trying when they go to war in the five-round main event atop the UFC 254 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card this Sat. afternoon (Oct. 24, 2020) on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

“We’re trying to solve the puzzle that’s Khabib,” Gaethje’s wrestling coach Ben Cherrington said on Ep. 2 of UFC 254 Embedded. “So we’ve worked on some unconventional wrestling defense, folk-style wrestling, create scrambles and keep the hips high. Not letting the guy settle in and that’s what Khabib’s so good at.”

The winner exits Abu Dhabi as the undisputed lightweight champion.

Click here to watch Ep. 1 of UFC 254 Embedded.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 254 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN 2/ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 254: “Khabib vs. Gaethje” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. To see the complete UFC 254 fight card and lineup click here.