Former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has not fought since August 25. Gaethje was initially supposed to fight Al Iaquinta on that night, but when Iaquinta withdrew from the fight, he accepted a fight with the lower ranked James Vick. He won this fight with a devastating first-round knockout, and hasn’t been back in the cage since.
He seems to be tired of waiting.
Speaking to ESPN this week, Justin Gaethje dished on his long stretch of inactivity and the other things that are bothering him.
“I’m f***ing pissed, man,” Gaethje said. “I’m pissed about a lot of things. I’ve been involved in Fight of the Year the last two years, and that’s all f—ing cool and it sounds good to fans, but I don’t get a damn thing for that.
“It’s bulls**t. NFL players get bonuses for sacks, completions, rushing yards, whatever. I go out and put it on the line like I do, and I pretty much get s**t on.”
Needless to say, Justin Gaethje is ready to fight again. And while he’s apparently keen on a rescheduled fight with Al Iaquinta, he says he’s willing to accept other offers, such as a bout with Edson Barboza.
“Barboza is up there,” Gaethje said. “He’s a scary fight, but I like being scared. And that’s a fight that me, as a fan, would want to see. I know how much fans would love something like that. So I’ll go out there and try to finish that dude with leg kicks.
“I’m trying to create a legacy, and you don’t create a legacy by bitching. I’ll fight the next in line. Whoever they send me a contract for, I’ll fight him.”
“If I have to go out and f**k up Barboza, I’ll do it,” he concluded. “And one day, I’m either going to make Al quit or he’s going to have to fight me. That motherf***er has to fight me at some point.”
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/11/2019.