Something’s going on in the UFC lightweight division, and Justin Gaethje thinks he knows what. The no.3 prospect has been riding a high since late 2018 and put himself in poll position for a title shot, but the UFC seems reluctant to make it happen. Instead the promotion seems determined to give Conor McGregor a shot at the winner of Khabib vs. Ferguson, providing the Irishman can defeat Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.
Gathje took to social media to call out the decision, pointing out that the Conor vs. Cowboy bout is taking place at 170lb, not 155; that McGregor hasn’t won a fight since 2016, and he already took a recent mauling by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
Fans, too, have been critical of the UFC’s manoeuvring of McGregor up the ranks. To them, Dana White said: “C’mon guys. Look what Conor has done over the last however many years. And then he loses to Khabib in a fight that was, when you talk about bad blood, it’s like next level of bad blood… So Conor is in line next for this fight if he beats Cowboy.”
As for Gaethje? White cryptically responded: “He knows what happened. Justin Gaethje knows what is going on.” Later on he clarified “We’ve offered Gaethje a lot of fights that Gaethje hasn’t taken either.”
Gaethje says that isn’t true. The UFC offered him Ferguson on short notice, a fight he wasn’t prepared to take without more time, and followed up with offers that wouldn’t advance his position in the division, even when the top fighters were looking for new opponents. “Just recently, they offered me Charles Oliveira in Brazil or Dan Hooker in New Zealand, all while the champion didn’t have a fight, McGregor was coming back and still looking for a fight. As far as I know, that’s what the deal is.”
Gaethje, however, doesn’t blame White. He thinks the promotion is committed to Khabib vs. McGregor 2 and nothing will stop it from happening. “[Dana] has people above him, telling him to put the fight together, this is the fight that’s going to make the most money, I’m sure, just looking from the outside in,” he said. ” I don’t think he’s actually trying to make me me look bad. I’ve done everything that man could ever want from a fighter or an employee or someone that he pays money to watch. So I don’t think it’s necessarily anything personal against me, I think it’s people above him telling him they have to make that fight no matter what.”
