Now that they are set to do battle, the war before the war inside the Octagon has begun between the men in UFC Lincoln’s main event.

Late last night, it was announced that Gaethje’s original opponent for the UFC’s first time in Nebraska, ‘Ragin’ Al Iaquinta has pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons.

This led to Texas’ own James ‘The Texicutioner’ Vick stepping up to fill in for Iaquinta against the former WSOF champion.

And already the two have begun to go after each other on social media.

https://twitter.com/Justin_Gaethje/status/1012425082671689735

https://twitter.com/Justin_Gaethje/status/1012439216607948805

https://twitter.com/Justin_Gaethje/status/1012441323905875968

Gaethje: Looks like I’ll be eating @JamesVickMMA chicken legs for dinner August 25 in Lincoln

Vick: Looks like instead of you having 5 fights left in your career i beat you senseless and you maybe have 2 left after that.

Gaethje: You will be begging another 2 yrs for a shot at top ten when I show you for the bitch ass point fighter you are.

Vick: calm down you punch drunk jackass. Please don’t take to many beating during sparring that you can’t make it to the fight

Gaethje: Dam you are supposed to make this fun. You are welcome now you get to tell your friends you fought in a Ufc main even.

For Vick, this will be his first time headlining a UFC card while it will already be Gaethje’s third in four UFC fights.

Instantly captivating fans with his wildly entertaining careless brawler style, Gaethje has begun to receive critique for his style now that he’s lost twice in a row for the first time in his career (his only career losses).

Vick, on the other hand, is coming in with plenty of momentum and a chip on his shoulder to prove that he is deserving of a top 10 opponent.

13-1 in his career overall, Vick hopes to make Gaethje his fifth straight win on August 25th.

 

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/28/2018