Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal among list of UFC A-listers Justin Gaethje should fight next, per Ali Abdelaziz
Ali Abdelaziz believes his client Justin Gaethje is a big enough star in the UFC to accept big money fights. Abdelaziz is confident that Gaethje, despite failing to capture the lightweight title at UFC 274, will always be a big draw for the organization and is a fan favorite.
Speaking to Brett Okamoto on ESPN MMA, Abdelaziz believes 'The Highlight' will come back stronger after his defeat to Oliveira. He suggested his client should now be able to fight stars such as Conor McGregor:
"Justin Gaethje is always going to be must watch TV. Must watch video game. Must watch pay-per-view. He's one of a kind. There's never gonna be anyone else like Justin Gaethje... We're gonna see Justin come back. I'd like to see Justin fight some of these f*****g guys man. Like Nate Diaz versus Gaethje. Conor McGregor, Gaethje. Dustin Poirier rematch! I think he's a big enough star to fight these guys. Like someone like Masvidal too. Gaethje versus Masvidal would be great."
'The Highlight's loss to Charles Oliviera at UFC 274 was the second time the American has failed to capture the lightweight title. His first defeat was to another client of his manager, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Both losses were via rear-naked choke.
Gaethje remains the No.3-ranked lightweight. The fighter and his manager could well look to move up a weight class while the fate of the lightweight championship is still to be decided. Gaethje would likely have to win against multiple ranked opponents if he is to have a third chance at the title.
Watch Brett Okamoto's interview with Ali Abdelaziz here:
Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier could run it back
Dustin Poirier has admitted that he is interested in a potential rematch with Justin Gaethje. The two former contenders met in 2018 where Poirier walked away with a TKO victory.
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In only Gaethje's third appearance in the UFC, he stepped across the cage from Poirier off the back of a Fight of the Night loss to former champion Eddie Alvarez.
The fight almost went the distance but Poirier stopped Gaethje in the fourth round via TKO. The bout was awarded a well-deserved Fight of the Night. Despite it being a second straight loss for Gaethje, his unrelenting pressure style of fighting meant he became an instant crowd favorite.
The two lightweight careers have been remarkably similar as of late. Both fighters have on two occasions failed to capture the lightweight title. They even shared submission losses in those title fights against the same men: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.