5 reasons why the UFC should book Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje

'The Notorious' Conor McGregor and Justin 'The Highlight' Gaethje

Conor McGregor has not been seen inside the octagon since UFC 264. The last memory fight fans have of the Irishman was his vitriolic post-fight interview where he aimed death threats at Dustin Poirier before claiming that his rival's wife, Jolie Poirier, had messaged him on Instagram.

Afterwards, in a karmic twist, McGregor was carried out of the cage on a stretcher, just as he had sworn Poirier would during the pre-fight buildup to their shocking bout. Now recovering from a broken tibia, 'The Notorious' has not been booked to potentially face anyone since July of last year.

Despite Charles Oliveira's best attempts at convincing UFC President Dana White to schedule a bout between him and McGregor in Brazil, no such matchup has come to fruition. McGregor continues his journey on the road to recovery while White remains adamant that 'The Notorious' is not yet ready to return to the octagon.

As eager as Oliveira is for a much sought-after money fight with Conor McGregor, he is too far up the rankings for a return bout for the Irishman, least of all if 'Do Bronx' successfully recaptures his UFC lightweight title in his upcoming matchup with Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.

A better and more sensible option for McGregor is Justin Gaethje, and this list outlines the 5 reasons why.

---

#5. Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje is guaranteed to end in a KO

Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje are among the best strikers in the UFC lightweight division.

Both men possess the same number of KO/TKO victories at 19. A bout between them can only end in a thrilling knockout for one of them. Often times, when a matchup is scheduled between two powerful strikers, there is a risk that it could devolve into a sloppy grappling affair or a timid kickboxing match. However, neither is possible with a McGregor-Gaethje matchup.

'The Notorious' is a pressure fighter by nature. He sprints across the cage at the onset of every round, immediately getting in his foe's face as he looks to pressure them to the fence with front kicks and spinning back kicks to the body. Furthermore, McGregor plays with range in a multitude of ways. First, he disguises his foot placement to dupe opponents into thinking he's farther away than he is.

He throws non-committal jabs and straight lefts that fall short of landing to convince his opponent that he's not close enough to hit them. Additionally, the strikes blind his opponents, allowing him to quietly shuffle his feet closer to his foes while his fist occupies their eyes. It is then that McGregor follows up with a committed blow that stuns his duped opponents.

Justin Gaethje, by contrast, is a vicious counterpuncher who often baits his opponents with hard low kicks, convincing them to try countering him over the top when his kicking leg is off the mat. If his foe obliges, Gaethje rolls under their punch, pivoting at an angle to punish them with a 1-2 on their open side. Alternatively, he'll throw a right cross to coax the counter before rolling under to counter the counter with a left hook.

In short, a McGregor-Gaethje bout is a car crash waiting to happen. One is a sniping pressure fighter and the other is a heavy-handed counterpuncher. They feed into each other. If the UFC hopes to book McGregor's return bout, why not opt for a guaranteed thriller?

#4. Gaethje will reveal whether McGregor is still elite

MMA has evolved tremendously since Conor McGregor first emerged. Regardless of where 'The Notorious' truly ranks among the sport's elite, the UFC will be eager to book McGregor into bouts until he can offer the promotion nothing more. However, it is imperative that the UFC preserve his value by not booking him to face foes he is ill-equipped to deal with, as too many losses will dull the luster of McGregor's starpower.

Justin Gaethje is the answer to this dilemma. He can reveal whether MMA has passed McGregor by. Why? His low kicks. The current striking meta of MMA involves calf kicking as a counter to the jab. While McGregor has not consistently used his jab, his lead leg is still terribly exposed to low kicks regardless of which stance he uses. His wide, bladed karate stance caused his lead leg to turn inwards, overexposing his calf.

Meanwhile, his boxing stance places enormous weight on his lead leg, exposing it to low kicks in a similar manner. Today, most MMA fighters have learned to use calf kicks as counters to overcommitted punchers. If McGregor is still unable to deal with calf kicks, especially given how much of his bodyweight he commits to his punches, he will struggle against most of the sport's elite.

Thus, Justin Gaethje will reveal whether the UFC should continue to book the Irishman in matchups with elite fighters or if the promotion should avoid damaging his starpower by scheduling him to face lesser foes that he can run through to maintain his market value as a star.

---

#3. There's a built-in storyline

From the rise of Chael Sonnen to the lucrative feud between former light heavyweights Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, it is as clear as day that the UFC prioritizes the ability to sell fights to their fans. Years ago, when McGregor was plying his trade as a UFC featherweight, he and Gaethje were on amicable terms, even taking a cageside picture together. Unfortunately, things changed as soon as 'The Notorious' broke into the lightweight division.

The WSOF export began calling for a bout with McGregor, even engaging in trash talk as he disparaged the Irishman as a human being, father, and husband (although McGregor was not and remains unmarried). McGregor largely ignored Gaethje's taunts until 'The Highlight' was scheduled to face a mutual foe in Khabib Nurmagomedov.

After a long silence, 'The Notorious' replied by swearing to brutalize Gaethje for questioning his quality as a father.

After Gaethje's failure to defeat Nurmagomedov, McGregor described the American's loss as embarrassing. Once 'The Highlight' bounced back with a win over three-time Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler to earn himself another title fight, this time against Charles Oliveira, Gaethje spoke of capturing the title and defending it against McGregor. He cited a desire to be the one to retire the Irishman.

Alas, Gaethje's second title fight ended like the first: in failure. The American tapped out to a rear-naked choke before slipping into unconsciousness, which the Irishman claimed Gaethje faked. Needless to say, the UFC has everything it could need to build a compelling storyline about the heated rivalry between McGregor and Gaethje to convince fans that it is not a simple return matchup for the Irishman. Instead, it is a grudge match.

#2. A McGregor win would catapult him into title talks

Will a McGregor win make him deserving of a title fight after going 0-3 in the lightweight division since he first captured the 155 lbs title from Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205? Absolutely not. From a competitive merit standpoint, there are many other fighters more deserving than Conor McGregor even if he wins in his return bout.

Beneil Dariush, for example, is on a 7-fight win streak. Rafael Fiziev falls just short of that with 6 straight wins. However, there is no denying that the UFC will facilitate the bare minimum to earn McGregor a title fight. The bare minimum would be a potential win over Justin Gaethje. 'The Highlight' recently fought for the UFC lightweight title and he remains the No.3-ranked lightweight in the division.

Thus, a win over Gaethje would render a potential title fight between McGregor and the winner of Charles Oliveira-Islam Makhachev at UFC 280 far easier to market without inciting too much fan outrage. While McGregor cannot suffer too many more defeats, he remains the sport's biggest draw by a considerable margin. It stands to reason that he only needs to secure one win for the UFC to book him into a title fight to headline a future PPV.

Doing so will generate more money for the promotion than McGregor taking part in a non-title fight. So while a bout with Gaethje is risky, 'The Notorious' has a fair chance at making the UFC's dream of another McGregor title run a possibility.

---

#1. The UFC can create a new rivalry

Conor McGregor can effortlessly sell over 1 million PPV buys no matter who he faces. However, just because the Irishman can comfortably rake in those numbers doesn't mean that the UFC shouldn't do anything to magnify the potential viewership for his return bout. Rivalries always work best as an attractor to fans regardless of the division. Unfortunately, McGregor is short on rivals due to the circumstances surrounding his chief foes at lightweight.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has settled into retirement and has repeatedly expressed zero interest in returning to the octagon. UFC President Dana White recently informed MMA media members that he couldn't even convince 'The Eagle' to return for a grappling match, let alone an MMA fight. The Irishman's other rival is Nate Diaz, who is scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 in the last bout on his UFC contract.

Diaz has repeatedly expressed a desire to leave the promotion in favor of pursuing a boxing match with Jake Paul, among other ventures. With Nurmagomedov gone and Diaz on the verge of leaving, McGregor only has Dustin Poirier as a rival. José Aldo, who many once hoped would be given the chance to rematch McGregor, has committed to a career at bantamweight, while Poirier himself has twice defeated 'The Notorious' already.

Thus, Conor McGregor is in need of a fresh rivalry that the UFC can build. Justin Gaethje fits the bill. Regardless of the victor in a potential bout between the two, future matchups will await, which the UFC can use to milk McGregor for all he's worth.