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At UFC 249, Justin Gaethje put on the best performance on his career so far, as he finished-off Tony Ferguson via TKO in order to win the interim UFC Lightweight Championship. The win also marked Gaethje's first title win in the UFC and 'The Highlight' believes he could take out Conor McGregor with ease if the two ever crossed paths in the Octagon.
While speaking to ESPN in a recent interview, Gathje noted that McGregor should wait to fight the winner of the upcoming Justin Gaethje vs Khabib Nurmagomedov fight. And, given 'The Highlight' emerges victorious, then he would be happy to fight the Irishman. (H/T: MMAJunkie)
“I think he should wait for the winner of me and Khabib. If I win, I think he definitely comes back. If Khabib wins, I don’t know. I’m not sure about that. (Conor’s) a legend, man. What he did was legendary status. I’ll never take that away from him. He deserves credit. He’s accomplished so much in this sport. What every fighter wants to attain, he accomplished, so hats off to him. I can’t wait to punch him in the face.” Gaethje told ESPN.
Justin Gaethje is known for his knockout power and has finished 19 of his 22 career fights by KO. 'The Highlight' has made major adjustments to his game in the last couple of years and believes that he is totally capable of finishing Conor McGregor if they fought in the UFC.
“Distance control is the No. 1 factor in any fight. It’s established in the first 30 seconds. It’s not visible, but it’s established, and that would be a huge factor in our fight. Who can control the distance? I think the best thing about me is I can kick the (expletive) out of people, so when they are trying to control distance or maybe they are winning at that, I can kick them in the leg and try to reset that. So I think I would knock him out to be honest. I think he’s got about three rounds, and then it’s hell, and he doesn’t want to go to hell, so I think he’s good for now.”
What's next for Justin Gaethje in the UFC?
Justin Gaethje is expected to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for his next Octagon outing and their scheduled bout will be for the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship. With Khabib currently in Russia, 'The Highlight' will have to wait for a while before he could fight for the undisputed Lightweight Title.
