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John McCarthy has weighed in on what would happen if Conor McGregor, rather than Justin Gaethje, gets the next UFC lightweight title shot.
‘Big’ John jokingly suggested that Gaethje would follow through on his promise of rioting if he isn’t given the next title shot.
On the Weighing In podcast, John McCarthy and Josh Thomson addressed the ongoing speculation regarding McGregor possibly fighting for the lightweight belt next.
Reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira recently asked fans whether they’d like his next title defense to be a fight against Gaethje or McGregor. John McCarthy addressed this and noted that ‘The Highlight’ would be furious if McGregor is awarded the next shot at the lightweight championship.
McCarthy stated:
“He [Justin Gaethje] is trying to say that Charles is trying to duck him…No, there will be riots in Colorado; one-man riots with Justin Gaethje just absolutely exploding.” McCarthy laughed and continued, “It’s the best. I kind of like; I like the fact that Charles is putting it out there, saying, ‘Hey, what do you guys think? Who should I fight [Gaethje or McGregor]? Which guy?” McCarthy added, “He’s having fun with it.”
Watch John McCarthy and Josh Thomson discuss Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and more in the video below:
Paul Felder on Charles Oliveira potentially choosing to fight Conor McGregor
UFC commentator Paul Felder is the last fighter to defeat Charles Oliveira inside the octagon. 'The Irish Dragon' defeated 'Do Bronx' via second round TKO at UFC 218 in 2017.
The retired MMA fighter recently spoke to Helen Yee Sports and explained why he’d understand if Oliveira chose to fight Conor McGregor.
‘The Irish Dragon’ noted that Justin Gaethje deserves to fight Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title next. He added that following this, the Oliveira-Gaethje winner ought to defend the title against the winner of February’s Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush matchup.
Nevertheless, Paul Felder admitted that fighting McGregor would benefit Charles Oliveira financially, as ‘Notorious’ is one of the biggest draws in the fight game.
Felder said:
"If I'm going by the numbers, it's Gaethje for sure for me. Then the winner of Islam [Makhachev] and Beneil [Dariush]. That's the next contender. There's no doubt about it in my mind. But Conor's that wrench in everything. Whether we like it or not, the guy draws. If Charles tries to do that, I can't technically blame him. You want that money fight... But that's not what it should be. It should be Gaethje and then the winner of Islam vs. Beneil."
Conor McGregor is currently recovering from a leg injury sustained in his last bout against Dustin Poirier. Late last year, the Irishman emphasized that he’s aiming to return to the octagon in mid-2022.
