Speaking on a recent episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, former World Series of Fighting champ Justin Gaethje said that he will consider retiring from MMA if he’s outclassed by James Vick in the main event of UFC Lincoln on August 25.
“I’m so much better than James Vick,” Gaethje said. “It sucks to say it, but if I was to go out there and get outclassed by James Vick, I’d have to hang them up.”
Well, according to James Vick, Gaethje ought to start preparing for his retirement, because he’s going to get outclassed.
Vick broke down the fight on the latest episode of BJPENN.COM Radio.
“He’s gonna get outclassed,” Vick said point blank. “I’m fully expecting that I’m going to have to take a few leg kicks. I’m fully aware, because he’s willing to take three or four punches in his face just to land one. So I’m sure that I’m going to take a few leg kicks, but I can condition my leg to take a kick. He can’t condition his chin to take a punch, and the dude’s been knocked out two fights in a row now, and he’s been wobbled in ten of his fights. So, we’re not making it five rounds, and he will get outclassed. My skillset’s way higher than his.”
“I’m not delusional. I’m gonna have to slug it out somewhat,” Vick added. “I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have to fight. I’m gonna sit there and we’re gonna be throwing down somewhat, because he’s gonna force that. And that’s fine with me cause I can bite down on my mouthpiece and throw just like he can. He ain’t the only motherfucker in the world that’s tough and can bite down and show heart and everything.
“He’s gonna come right off the bat swinging, so we probably will be colliding right off the bat. And then, he’s gonna get caught with something big and go to sleep.”
While Vick is expecting Gaethje to fight with his typical aggression in Lincoln, he also understands that Gaethje might turn to his wrestling base — but he’s not too worried about this possibility.
“I mean, if he tries to wrestle me, I don’t understand what he’s gonna get out of it,” Vick says. “He has no gas tank. Every time he wrestles, he gasses. He’s openly said that. That’s not in my words, that’s [in] his. He’s the one who said that. Also, he has no submission threats. He has no ground and pound threat.
“What’s the point of shooting on me three or four times in one round and gassing himself out when he can’t do anything to me on the ground? He has no fucking threats.” Vick said. “He might get caught and submitted anyway, and if not I’ll get to my feet and can’t nobody, and hasn’t nobody, held me down my whole fighting career. So I’ll get up, or I’ll catch his neck, or I’ll knock him out. But I really don’t see his ground game as a threat at all.”
James Vick also expects to dominate Gaethje in the cardio and volume departments.
“I don’t see how Justin Gaethje thinks that he is in better shape and has better cardio than me,” he said. “I’ve never gotten tired being in any fight that I’ve been in.
“I throw more volume than everyone I fight,” he added. “When I win decisions on people, it’s because I’ll out-strike them on volume. I outland them and I throw tons of volume. There’s no way that his dude can match me with volume, so I don’t understand how he thinks that he’s gonna break me and gas me out in five rounds.”
So, what is James Vick’s final prediction?
“He always comes out hard and aggressive and I think that it’s gonna backfire on him,” Vick said. “He’s gonna get caught with something big and he’s gonna get knocked out, probably within two rounds.”
Do you think James Vick will take out Justin Gaethje in the UFC Lincoln main event?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 7/20/2018.