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

#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.

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#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.