Getty Conor McGregor during UFC 246 in January 2020.
If former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor receives an instant-title shot upon his return, the No. 1-ranked lightweight contender will “burn it all down.”
Charles Oliveira defended the 155-pound belt earlier this month when he tapped out Dustin Poirier with a third-round rear-naked choke at UFC 269. So, who’s next for the Brazilian? It appears “Do Bronx” will take on Justin Gaethje, according to the words of UFC president Dana White.
“The Highlight” earned a major win the month prior at UFC 268, defeating Michael Chandler by unanimous decision in what was a fight of the year candidate.
Getty Justin Gaethje punches Michael Chandler in their lightweight bout during the UFC 268 event at Madison Square Garden on November 06, 2021 in New York City.
White told Jim Rome prior to UFC 269 that “it should be” Gaethje fighting for the title next. Well, one person who was the capabilities of throwing a wrench into that plan is McGregor. “Notorious” is the biggest name in the sport and a proven pay-per-view superstar, and he challenged Oliveira after the fight.
Although McGregor is 0-2 in his last two fights and is currently rehabbing a leg break, it’s not impossible that the UFC would decide to grant the Irishman a title fight when he returns.
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Gaethje Will ‘F****** Burn it Down’ If He’s Passed Over By McGregor
Well, Gaethje recently spoke with TMZ about McGregor receiving a title shot ahead of him.
“I’ll burn it all down. What do you mean?” Gaethje said via MMA Junkie. “F****** burn it down, that’s what I’d do. (McGregor) is so irrelevant. He has not won a fight since 2016 in the lightweight division. I’m ranked No. 1. I saw they updated the rankings. I’m No. 1 now. That feels pretty good. My whole life I’ve been working towards this. That is what’s next. If not, I’ll f*cking burn it down. I’ll show up and start throwing dollies everywhere. I don’t know what the answer is.”
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Gaethje Said McGregor Is Becoming ‘More & More Irrelevant
McGregor is a superstar, but the reality is that the Irishman has only won one fight in his last four UFC bouts. And he’s 1-3 in the UFC’s lightweight division. Gaethje told the outlet that Notorious is becoming “more and more” irrelevant every day, and he’s looking forward to not being asked about McGregor receiving title fights.
“I would absolutely not allow him to fight for the title,” Gaethje continued. “He did not win and go through the process. He’s not gonna s*** on everything that we – there’s too many. Beneil Dariush, Islam Makhachev, those are the guys that we fight. Not Conor McGregor. That’s not how this works. He’s becoming more and more irrelevant as time goes on. Pretty soon you won’t even be asking me these questions. It’s gonna be a beautiful f****** day.”
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