Getty Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor.
On Monday during Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, the journalist told his listeners that Conor “Notorious” McGregor was in preliminary talks to fight Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje in the summer. The Highlight’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, took to Twitter today to refute that claim.
Here is the tweet from Abdelaziz:
This rumor about @Justin_Gaethje fighting vs @TheNotoriousMMA is absolutely false. He had the opportunity to fight him already instead of cowboy but he didn’t. Justin is the number one contender and like khabib said. Conor needs to win 10 fights.
Abdelaziz’s tweet reads, “This rumor about [Justin Gaethje] fighting vs [Conor McGregor is absolutely false. He had the opportunity to fight him already instead of [Donald Cerrone] but he didn’t. Justin is the number one contender and like [Khabib Nurmagomedov] said. Conor needs to win 10 fights.”
In the official UFC rankings, McGregor is at #3, and Gaethje is ranked #4. Gaethje or McGregor have yet to comment on Abdelaziz’s claim.
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Justin Gaethje Called McGregor Out a Few Days Ago in a Video
Even though Abdelaziz tweeted the statement it doesn’t mean the fight won’t come to fruition. Gaethje has been calling McGregor out for a long time, and if he has the chance to compete against the Irishman, he may seize the opportunity and take the fight. The Highlight even called Notorious out late last week in a video featuring himself and UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo.
Here is the video via TMZ:
I tell you what, them spies on #TMZ love sipping on my Koolaid. @thenotoriousmma this is a special message from your nightmare @justin_gaethje sign the contract Princess. No where to hide 📝.
In the video, Gaethje said, “The man is not going to fight me. What the f—k do you got to do? He’s running out of easy fights. I’m sitting here smoking my CBD waiting for a motherf—ker to punch me in the face. Let’s go, quit being a p—sy.”
Cejudo then said, “There you go McGregor, sign the contract.”
Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje Would Be an Exciting Stand-Up Battle
A fight between Notorious and The Highlight is an exciting prospect for many fans. Both men are known as powerful strikers, and the bout is likely to be a fast-paced battle on the feet. Gaethje has 18 finishes by KO or TKO and McGregor has 19.
In the report by Ariel Helwani, he said that if the fight comes to fruition, it may take place in the summer. With Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fighting for the lightweight title at UFC 249 in April, the winner of a fight between Gaethje and McGregor could produce the next #1 contender.
McGregor got back to his winning ways in January when he defeated Donald Cerrone by first-round TKO. Gaethje is currently on a three-fight winning streak, with his most recent win coming by a first-round TKO over Cerrone as well.
Both men have stellar professional MMA records. The Highlight boasts a 21-2 record, and Notorious has a 22-4 record.
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Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje: Gaethje’s Manager Dismisses Report