Top UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje went on the offensive against superstar Conor McGregor, saying the Irishman is a ‘b*tch’ for not fighting him.
UFC president Dana White revealed on Wednesday that the UFC is currently in negotiations for McGregor’s comeback fight to be against Donald Cerrone and not Gaethje. Considering Gaethje just knocked Cerrone out at UFC Vancouver in September, it’s no surprise “The Highlight” is upset he’s not the one getting the fight with McGregor instead.
Speaking to TMZ, Justin Gaethje went off on McGregor for seemingly refusing to fight him.
“Conor’s an absolute b*tch if he does not fight me. He’s going to lose a ton of respect from all of his fans. I mean how big of a bitch can he be? Especially when you call yourself the king. The ‘Burger King.’ You’re going to not fight me solely for the purpose cause you have to get a win, so you’re not going to face me,” Gaethje said. “He’s a b*tch.’”
McGregor recently announced during a press conference in Russia that he is returning to the Octagon on January 18 in Las Vegas. Gaethje was one of the rumored opponents but it now appears as though the UFC is going to try and give Cerrone the fight instead. That does not sit well with Gaethje, who is currently on a three-fight win streak with knockout wins over Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and James Vick in his last three outings.
“I get very frustrated when I think about what’s going on. If he’s fighting anybody it should be me,” Gaethje said. “I truly believe that he is scared to fight the fight that he has to fight against me. I think he’s looking for a sure win. At the end of the day, there’s only two ways out with me. You either knock me out (or get knocked out). I wouldn’t finish him like Khabib Nurmagomedov did. I wouldn’t take his neck. I would make him stand up and make him take it like a man. And that’s one thing that I know deep down he’s terrified of, and that’s one thing that I bring to the table.”
Gaethje then compared McGregor to former UFC superstar Ronda Rousey, who flamed out of her MMA career after back-to-back knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
“I think he knows that he needs a win. But at the end of the day, this is going to be another Ronda Rousey story. He’s dug him too deep of a hole, and he’s not going to come out of it. He’s going to get knocked out, and he’s going to go away,” Gaethje said.
Do you think Justin Gaethje’s criticisms of Conor McGregor are warranted?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/30/2019.