Justin Gaethje: UFC Should Take Conor Mcgregor Out Of Rankings If He Isn’t Going To Fight
Conor Mcgregor has been active on social media but not inside the Octagon as he last fought back in October where he suffered a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. He recently updated his status from retired to in negotiations with the promotion for a summer return. Mcgregor is training, but it seems he still has to sort financial matter with the UFC before we see him in the cage.
Several fighters want a piece of Mcgregor even Irishman previously linked to fighting Donald Cerrone however contractual issues scrapped the bout talks.
Top fighters in the division have confirmed their respective showdowns like Tony Ferguson vs. Donald Cerrone at UFC 238 and Khabib Nurmagomedov expected to defend his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242. Even Mcgregor’s old nemesis Nate Diaz recently agreed to fight Anthony Pettis at Welterweight on August 17 at UFC 240.
So what’s left for Conor Mcgregor.
So this increased the chances of ranked No. 5 lightweight contender Justin Gaethje who recently calls for a fight with ranked no. 3 Mcgregor. Gaethje feels it’s time UFC should remove Mcgregor from rankings if he doesn’t want to fight anytime soon. (h/t ESPN.com)
“Looking at the landscape, Conor McGregor [who last fought against Nurmagomedov in October] is No. 3 right now. If it’s not him, there’s not an open fight right now. So, that’s the fight I want. He’s No. 3. If he’s not going to fight, take him out of the rankings. I’d be cool with that, too, and we can move on from there.”
Mcgregor is one of the fighters who are pretty picky when it comes to choosing his opponents and securing a lucrative bout against UFC’s cash cow isn’t that of an easy task.
“I don’t know what else to say about it. Unless he just does not want to fight me, if he wants to be that picky about it. I can’t control that,” he added. “I’ll worry about things I can control. But I would definitely love to f— him up. Every time I get a chance to f— someone up who talks a lot of s—, it makes it more fun for me.”
Even Gaethje’s manager Ali Abdelaziz recently blasted Mcgregor for turning down a fight.
Gaethje is riding on a two-fight winning streak over the likes of James Vick and Edson Barboza. Even Mcgregor praised Gaethje’s stunning win over Brazilian sensation Barboza.
Regardless who, Gaethje matchup with next sure it’d be a barnburner fight due to his aggressive fighting style.
