Justin Gaethje has said he believes a fight with Conor McGregor is a lot more likely following Notorious’ emphatic knockout victory over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
McGregor downed Cowboy in just 40 seconds to mark his return to the UFC with a win.
Notorious hadn’t won since 2016, but kicked off what he’ll hope is a turnaround by destroying Cerrone inside one round.
The Irish superstar recently revealed plans to fight three times in 2020, with Jorge Masvidal and a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov amongst the speculated opponents.
But Gaethje believes McGregor’s triumph in his comeback makes him more likely to accept a fight with the lightweight #4.
‘He’ll Fight Me Now’
Speaking about UFC 246, Gaethje suggested that McGregor may have been reluctant to face him, but that the victory will give the Irishman the confidence he needs to take the fight.
Speaking to Punchlines, Gaethje said: “Ultimately that dude makes his own decisions, and I think he has more confidence now,”
“He needed a win.”
“So yeah, I think he’ll fight me now.”
Gaethje had previously expressed his frustration at being overlooked by the UFC, with McGregor looking likely to get a title shot despite a 15-month hiatus from the sport.
Gaethje also made point of the fact that he stopped Cowboy in his last fight before UFC 246.
But the 31-year-old says he understands the business involved with UFC, and says he’ll keep working hard until he’s rewarded.
“I’m not necessarily being overlooked,” he continued.
“I’m in the conversation.”
“I lost two times not that long ago, and unfortunately that set me back and that allows these people to have an argument or a case when it comes to the argument or it comes to this circumstance.”
“So it does suck to compete as hard as I do and to put as much as I do into it and to maybe have the situation come along where I do get passed over because of money or politics.”
“But at the end of the day if you do keep winning, I’m gonna fight again and if I win, if I knock somebody out again, they can’t deny me.”
Something Special
The only obstacle for Gaethje, he believes, is his reluctance to pander to the media.
The American says putting on a persona to sell fights isn’t a route he’s willing to go down, and prefers to do his talking inside the Octagon.
He said: “To be a superstar you have to win and you have to have something special,”
“For me, I hope that knocking people out is my something special because I can’t sell myself, per se, and become a different person on camera and a different person off camera.”
“Ultimately, I think it could hurt me in the long run, just not wanting to take that route.”
“I could have been there [at UFC 246],”
“I could have been front row.”
“I could have made a scene, but I don’t know,”
“And maybe I’ll miss an opportunity because I wasn’t there.”
Spotlight
While Gaethje is happy to sit back and hope his fight credentials can get him big fights, Notorious’ other potential opponents are more willing to put themselves in the spotlight.
Masvidal isn’t known for being camera shy and was on the front row at UFC 246.
Khabib and McGregor meanwhile have one of the most bitter rivalries in combat sport.
With other options looking like they’ve got that ‘something special’ away from the Octagon, it’s unclear whether Gaethje will get his shot against McGregor.
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor)