{"id":347850,"date":"2020-04-23T05:43:54","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T12:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=347850"},"modified":"2020-04-23T05:43:54","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T12:43:54","slug":"justin-gaethje-on-defeating-tony-ferguson-it-wont-mean-im-a-world-champion-in-the-ufc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/ufc\/justin-gaethje-on-defeating-tony-ferguson-it-wont-mean-im-a-world-champion-in-the-ufc\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Gaethje on defeating Tony Ferguson: \u201cIt won\u2019t mean I\u2019m a world champion in the UFC\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

If Justin Gaethje beats Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, he will earn the interim lightweight title. However, in the eyes of “The Highlight,” that won’t make him a true champion.<\/p>\n

President Dana White scrapped the plans for UFC 249 on April 18, and pushed it back to May 9. The main event was supposed to feature Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson, but the lightweight champion ultimately withdrew over the constant changes associated with the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Now, the No. 4 ranked lightweight Gaethje stepped up to fight Ferguson and take him on for the interim title. Gaethje believes a win against Ferguson is just another step on the journey to the undisputed 155-pound belt owned by Khabib Nurmagomedov.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they wrap that belt around me, it won\u2019t be the destination,\u201d Justin said to ESPN<\/a>. \u201cIt will be a map to the top. That\u2019s who I\u2019m looking at. It\u2019ll be nice to have a belt wrapped around, but for me, it won\u2019t mean the same. It won\u2019t mean I\u2019m a world champion in the UFC.”<\/p>\n

Gaethje and Nurmagomedov are both managed by Ali Abdelaziz at Dominance MMA. Abdelaziz revealed that he is open<\/a> to a title fight between his two clients. Justin Gaethje believes if he can beat the undefeated champion, he will prove he is the best in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I beat Tony, I\u2019m fighting Khabib next. That\u2019s what I\u2019m here for, to be the best in the world. And when I fight him, I want him to try and kill me, because I won\u2019t respect him if he doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 31-year old earned his nickname, The Highlight, from his list highlight-reel fights and finishes. He is currently riding three first-round KO wins. Meanwhile, Ferguson hasn’t felt defeat in over 8 years. He is riding a 12-fight win streak. Both fighters will put their impressive records to the test in the main event of UFC 249 on May 9.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov won’t defend his title until after August, when his commitments to Ramadam are complete. Whether he will face Gaethje or Ferguson in his next Octagon appearance remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on\u00a0<\/i>BJPENN.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>\u00a0on 4\/23\/2020.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If Justin Gaethje beats Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, he will earn the interim lightweight title. However, in the eyes of “The Highlight,” that won’t make him a true champion. President Dana White scrapped the plans for UFC 249 on April 18, and pushed it back to May 9. The main event was supposed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54472,"featured_media":346542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[25154,10114,10113,39610,61249],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nJustin Gaethje on defeating Tony Ferguson: \u201cIt won\u2019t mean I\u2019m a world champion in the UFC\u201d | BJPenn.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Top ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje explained why defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 for the lightweight interim belt won't make him a champ.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/ufc\/justin-gaethje-on-defeating-tony-ferguson-it-wont-mean-im-a-world-champion-in-the-ufc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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