Justin Gaethje is not afraid to lose his job.
With the Ultimate Fighting Championship serious in pursuing a rematch between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gaethje, who has been calling for a scrap with the Irishman, is clearly frustrated with the plans.
McGregor, who has been out of action for 15 months, made a sensational comeback last January and scored an emphatic 40-second knockout of Donald Cerrone in a welterweight clash.
For his next outing, the former two-division champion is likely to return to 155 pounds as the UFC head honcho confirmed he’ll fight the winner of Nurmagomedov vs Ferguson title bout.
“So Khabib and Tony will fight in Brooklyn and Conor will probably fight the winner of that fight,” White claimed (per SCMP)
“The reason everybody loves him so much is who he’ll say he’ll fight next, in some other weight class or whatever it might be. He keeps it fun.”
Going To War
Speaking to ESPN, Gaethje said it will be definitely a war if he is denied of a title shot or a potential title-eliminator bout with ‘The Notorious.’
“I cannot take that into account,” he said of the possible second instalment to the McGregor-Nurmagomedov rivalry (via BJPenn.com).
If the rematch is officially booked, the streaking lightweight contender said he would not hesitate to attack the UFC president for his unfair decision.
“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 levelheaded. I respect the boss.”
“ut if he f**king tries … that is going to war.”
Gaethje is currently ranked fourth in the official lightweight rankings and has been undefeated in his past three fights.
He most recently defeated Donald Cerrone at UFC Vancouver, where he also took home the ‘Performance of the Night’ honor.
Nightmare Matchup
Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, believes ‘The Highlight’ will be a nightmare matchup for the Irishman.
However, a fight with Gaethje will be McGregor’s only ticket to another title shot, according to the MMA manager.
“If Khabib wins on April 18, Conor McGregor is not getting a title shot — simple.”
“Dana White is the best promoter of all time because he understands fighting and matchmaking. The only way Conor McGregor can fight for a title is if he beats someone like Justin Gaethje.”
“If he were to do that, it would be hard to deny him.”
“The reason why I don’t think he’s fought Justin Gaethje is I think out of everybody in the UFC, Justin Gaethje takes people to a different place.”
“Many people break. And we’ve seen Conor McGregor break before. Justin Gaethje is a nightmare matchup for him.”
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor, YouTube/ ESPN MMA)