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Justin Gaethje, the No. 2 UFC lightweight contender, is happy that Dustin Poirier defeated 'loudmouth' Conor McGregor at UFC 257 last weekend.
Justin Gaethje fought Poirier in a losing effort in his second UFC bout. Four straight wins after that loss, Justin Gaethje earned himself a title fight against current weight class' champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 in 2020, where he lost via technical submission in the second round.
Even with the defeat to Khabib, Justin Gaethje remains one of the best-placed lightweight contenders for the title. In an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Justin Gaethje said that he enjoyed seeing McGregor getting knocked out by Poirier.
"He wants to be 'Mr. Humble' now, so I don't feel bad for him. I'm happy for Poirier. I'm happy Poirier went out there and did his job, finished him. I love seeing a loudmouth getting knocked out. There's nothing that makes me happier, you know, seeing a piece of sh*t to get put down. That was great. I loved it," said Justin Gaethje.
The lightweight division currently is the most compelling weight class in the UFC. Since Khabib announced his retirement, the promotion struggles to find the ideal matchup for the title fight.
Several well-established contenders arose with a valid claim for the belt, creating a good problem for the UFC to deal with: There are too many options to choose from at the moment.
Who is Justin Gaethje fighting next?
According to MMA Junkie's Nolan King, UFC president Dana White hinted that Justin Gaethje's next opponent would be Charles Oliveira.
The MMA analyst reported that White said during an ESPN+ live stream that Oliveira "probably" would be the next logical opponent for "The Highlight."
Like Justin Gaethje, Oliveira made a convincing appearance against Tony Ferguson, one of the most respected fighters in the lightweight division.
After the fight with Ferguson, Oliveira climbed the lightweight ranking to occupy the third position - one under Justin Gaethje. However, if Khabib Nurmagomedov decides to remain retired, the UFC would probably postpone a title fight with Dustin Poirier if they want a match between Justin Gaethje and Oliveira first.
Nevertheless, many MMA fans and experts consider that the best move for Justin Gaethje now would be to fight UFC newcomer Michael Chandler. The former three-time Bellator lightweight champion had an impressive win over Dan Hooker at UFC 257 that firmly positioned him to the title race.
Who do you think that Justin Gaethje should fight next? Sound off in the comments.
