Dana White reveals that the UFC does have big plans for Justin Gaethje
Dana White has revealed that the UFC does have big plans for Justin Gaethje.
The UFC recently announced that Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler will face off for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 262 (May 15th, 2021). Justin Gaethje subsequently revealed that he was surprised about not being booked in the UFC lightweight title fight.
During the UFC 260 pre-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White spoke about two pivotal upcoming lightweight matchups – Oliveira vs. Chandler and Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3, the latter of which is likely to transpire in July 2021. Upon being questioned about where Justin Gaethje fits in this equation, White stated:
“He (Justin Gaethje) fits very well in all this. So, after this plays out, he’s probably next in line – depends on what happens with Dustin and Conor. I mean, you know how that is. Timing is everything when these fights happen. How much damage did the guy who won take, and what kind of personal sh** does he have going on? You know, all that stuff factors into when the next fight would be. So, I mean, Justin Gaethje couldn’t be in a better position.”
Justin Gaethje’s last fight was a second-round submission loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 in October 2020. The loss witnessed then-interim UFC lightweight champion Gaethje come up short in his bid to win the undisputed UFC lightweight title.
Also Read: What is Justin Gaethje's Net Worth in 2021?
Justin Gaethje claimed that he may have ‘pi**ed someone off’ in the UFC, which is why he didn’t get the next LW title shot
In an appearance on Full Reptile, Justin Gaethje explained why he feels that he may have pi**ed someone off in the UFC which likely caused him to miss out on being booked in the upcoming UFC lightweight title fight. Gaethje said:
“Who knows, man? I can’t talk about it a lot right now. I’m sure me talking about it is the reason I’m here in the past. Who knows? Maybe I pi**ed someone off. I don’t know. All I know is since I was 12, 13 years old, I listened to Dana White do his interviews and explain what he wanted in a fighter, and I’m that motherf**ker.”
“And, you know, if I get disrespected, it’s gonna be hurtful because I really bought into what that man talked about. So, yeah, it’ll hurt – because I feel like I’m a company man from day one. I don’t ever want to go anywhere else. I don’t want to fight anywhere else. But my principles are the most important thing to me. So, we’ll see what happens.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Which fighter would you like to see Justin Gaethje face next? Sound off in the comments.