UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje would not be happy if Dana White gave Conor McGregor a title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Justin Gaethje has put together an impressive 3-fight winning streak, with all of them coming by way of knockout. He has been calling for a title shot against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but would settle for a fight against Conor McGregor, who Gaethje says has been “ducking him”.
McGregor has been campaigning for a rematch against Nurmagomedov since he lost to the champion back at UFC 229. Nurmagomedov does not want to entertain the idea of a rematch against McGregor, who he believes doesn’t deserve it. Despite the protest from the champion, UFC president Dana White has stated that if he gets past Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, a rematch against McGregor would happen next. His manager, Ali Abdelaziz has recently stated that Nurmagomedov would accept the rematch against McGregor, if he got through Justin Gaethje first.
With both fighters gunning for the title shot in the UFC lightweight division, Gaethje has revealed what he would do if the UFC overlooked his claim in favour of McGregor. In a recent interview with ESPN, Gaethje had this to say:
“I cannot take that into account,” said Gaethje regarding a possible rematch between Nurmagomedov and McGregor. “I’ll get fired. I’ll punch [White] in the f**king nose. If you’re going to take away an opportunity off my table, then I’m going to f**king fight you. I don’t know what you want me to do.
“It’s not fair, and I’m not going to stand for it. I’m very level headed. I respect the boss. But if he f**king tries … that is going to war.”
Clearly, Gaethje is exaggerating in his remarks, but you can tell that he is extremely displeased about the possibility of losing the chance to compete for the UFC lightweight title. The lightweight contender was recently called out by the rapidly rising Dan Hooker, who is now expected to face Dustin Poirier instead.
A matchup between Gaethje and McGregor does make sense in terms of rankings, as it would be a great to determine, who the next fighter in line should be for a chance to fight for the UFC lightweight title. McGregor has been quiet on the issue, most likely waiting to see how April’s bout at UFC 249 featuring Nurmagomedov and Ferguson plays out first.
This article first appeared on CLOSEDGUARDMEDIA.com on 9th March, 2020.
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