"He has been the same throughout his career"- Josh Thomson and 'Big' John McCarthy talk about why Justin Gaethje's style hasn't changed throughout his career

Justin Gaethje is one of the top lightweights in mixed martial arts. However, 'The Highlight' has never claimed undisputed UFC gold and came up short earlier this year against Charles Oliveira for the strap. Josh Thomson and John McCarthy recently discussed how his fighting style hasn't evolved throughout his career.

Speaking on the Weighing In podcast, Thomson said:

"You can't change who the f**k he is. He's a fighter to the core... I just would like to see him... If he fought a little bit smarter in some areas, but it's hard to change somebody who has had so much success being who he is as a fighter."

McCarthy responded by pointing out how Michael Chandler went from being wrestle-heavy to becoming more of a stand-up fighter. He then shifted back to Justin Gaethje, discussing the American's wrestling background and how he uses it in his fights:

"Yes, Justin was a wrestler who came into MMA, but from his very first fight, this is a guy who wanted to stand up and bang and that's what he did. He would use his wrestling as a defense to not be taken down to the ground by guys that could submit him and he has been the same throughout his career."

Watch Josh Thomson and John McCarthy discuss Justin Gaethje (42:00) below:

Justin Gaethje claimed the interim lightweight title when he defeated Tony Ferguson back in 2020. In his subsequent title unification bout with then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the American was submitted in the second round.

At UFC 274 earlier this year, Gaethje was finished by Charles Oliveira in the very first round with the 155-pound title on the line. His last win was his unanimous decision victory over Michael Chandler in New York last year, which won 'Fight of the Year' honors.

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Justin Gaethje on potential fight against Conor McGregor

As expected, there is a ton of speculation circulating online about Conor McGregor's UFC return. The former two-division champion has been out of action since July 2021 and looks set to return in early 2023.

The Irishman has been called out by many top lightweights including Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, but it appears as though Justin Gaethje is wary about what McGregor has been doing while on the sidelines. It was recently revealed that 'The Notorious' hasn't been drug-tested by USADA in quite some time, drawing rumors that he's been using banned substances.

Speaking on the matter in an interview with MMA Fighting, Gaethje had this to say about a potential fight against the UFC superstar:

"Sounds to me like he's off taking steroids right now. He hasn't been drug tested by USADA in quite some time. I'm looking for fair competition. If he's on steroids, then give me steroids and let's go. I'm down with that. My health is my biggest factor."

Off the back of Justin Gaethje's comments, fellow top-ranked lightweight Rafael Fiziev called out the former interim champion. Highlighting that he's been tested numerous times this year, the Azerbaijani striker offered to take on Gaethje next, unless he's "worried" about his skills.