Dana White hints of Justin Gaethje being the back up for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 fight
Dana White has hinted towards Justin Gaethje's next potential move in the UFC. According to the UFC president, The Highlight could either feature in the co-main event of the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier trilogy card or serve as the backup for the main event between the two.
While speaking to the media after the UFC 260 pay-per-view, White addressed talks about Justin Gaethje possibly fighting in the co-main event of UFC 264. The UFC president certainly seemed interested in the idea of Gaethje fighting in the co-main event of the card.
However, White mentioned the possibility of Gaethje stepping in to face either McGregor or Poirier if any of the two fighters are forced to withdraw from their third fight.
"Yeah, we could do that or he would be the backup."- said Dana White.
Justin Gaethje has already stepped into the Octagon against Dustin Poirier in the past. Having suffered a defeat at the hands of The Diamond, Gaethje would love to avenge his loss to Poirier and get back in the win column after his latest defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
A potential fight between Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor, however, would be a first. The Highlight has certainly developed some animosity towards the Irishman. Gaethje even went on record to claim that he would never fight in the UFC if McGregor was rewarded with a title shot after his UFC 257 loss to Poirier.
Justin Gaethje's last Octagon outing ended in a disappointing loss
At UFC 254, Justin Gaethje stepped into the octagon for his career's biggest fight thus far. In the pay-per-view's main event, The Highlight faced Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed UFC lightweight title.
After a solid start to the fight, Gaethje crumbled under immense pressure from Khabib and was forced to tap out to The Eagle. While UFC 254 marked the final fight of Khabib's career, Justin Gaethje is expected to make his return to the cage soon.
While there was talk of a potential Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler fight, it looks like the UFC has different plans for the former. Chandler is now scheduled to fight for the vacant UFC lightweight title against Charles Oliveira.