Justin Gaethje says his mum will be able to stop working after UFC 254 Khabib showdown

Justin Gaethje has insisted that his mother will be able to stop working once he has competed against Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 254 on Saturday.

Gaethje is set to take away more than £2.5million following his clash with Nurmagomedov on Saturday on Fight Island.

And speaking ahead of the clash, Gaethje insisted as long as the fight goes ahead he will ensure that his mother Carolina – who is of Mexican decent and works as a postmaster –  will no longer have to work.

Justin Gaethje has insisted his mother will be able to retire once he has fought in UFC 254

‘My parents have never flown international,’ Gaethje told BT Sport ahead of the Fight Island clash with Nurmagomedov.

‘They got to fly business class. They’ve never flown business class.

‘My dad [John] retired a little bit over a year ago – he worked 37 years in a copper mine. And my mum is going to retire after this.

‘When this fight starts, when that bell rings at the beginning then I will secure that she will retire after this fight. She been there [at her job] for 35 years.

‘They never had a chance to fly international. every piece of money they had went into me and my brothers and sister to give us opportunities.’

Khabib and Gaethje faced off ahead of their huge UFC 254 showdown on Saturday 

Gaethje had a humble upbringing in Safford, Arizona, with his sister and twin brother, and after reflecting on those tough times he added he is delighted that his family will be able to experience the occasion.

‘We were two hours from any city,’ he added. 

‘Going school clothes shopping was a vacation for us. We had to drive two to three hours and sometimes we stayed the night.

‘And they took financial hits every time we did that. And nothing is better on earth than being able to repay that.

Gaethje (right) also pointed at Nurmagomedov’s belt, saying it is the one he wants for himself

‘When I step in that octagon nothing matters. They’re not there, my coach Trevor Wittman is there and his is the only voice that I can hear.

‘That’s all that matters to me but I am very happy they get to experience this.’

Gaethje’s comments came shortly after he handed back his interim lightweight champion belt, pointing at the real deal Khabib Nurmagomedov was carrying and declaring it the one he wanted. 

The American was given his interim title for the impressive victory over Tony Ferguson in May, the win that earned him this title shot.

The American was given his interim title for the impressive victory over Tony Ferguson in May