UFC: Justin Gaethje Confident He Will Knockout Conor McGregor
Justing Gaethje is confident about his chances against Conor McGregor in a potential future matchup. ‘The Highlight’ states that he aims for a title unification bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov next, but does not discard a possible fight against the Irishman.
Gaethje was crowned interim UFC lightweight champion by defeating Tony Ferguson via TKO at UFC 249. In a conversation with ESPN (as transcribed by MMA Junkie), the Arizona native discussed a possible fight against McGregor, should he get past the ‘Eagle’.
“I think he should wait for the winner of me and Khabib,” said Gaethje. “If I win, I think he definitely comes back. If Khabib wins, I don’t know. I’m not sure about that. [Conor’s] a legend, man. What he did was legendary status. I’ll never take that away from him. He deserves credit. He’s accomplished so much in this sport. What every fighter wants to attain, he accomplished, so hats off to him. I can’t wait to punch him in the face.”
The All American former wrestler analysed the keys to victory against McGregor at first glance. Gaethje remains confident that his skills and fighting style serve as an advantage over the ‘Notorious’ one.
“Distance control is the number one factor in any fight,” Gaethje said. “It’s established in the first 30 seconds. It’s not visible, but it’s established, and that would be a huge factor in our fight. Who can control the distance? I think the best thing about me is I can kick the s*** out of people, so when they are trying to control distance or maybe they are winning at that, I can kick them in the leg and try to reset that. So I think I would knock him out, to be honest.
“I think he’s got about three rounds, and then it’s hell, and he doesn’t want to go to hell, so I think he’s good for now.”
Gaethje, who currently enjoys a four-fight winning streak, has taken the MMA world by storm since his UFC debut against Michael Johnson in 2017. From then on, the fan-favourite fighter has had nothing but memorable bouts that earned him nine performances bonuses in only seven appearances with the promotion.
Gaethje now faces the biggest challenge of his career in Khabib, who is scheduled to defend his lightweight belt in September at UFC 253. Win or lose, fans can rest assured that any fight with Gaethje as a co-protagonist is certain to be one for the books.
How do you think Justin Gaethje would perform against Conor McGregor?
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