Justin Gaethje continues to angle for Dustin Poirier rematch
Justin Gaethje was defeated by Dustin Poirier at UFC on Fox 29 in 2018 via fourth-round TKO. The No.3-ranked lightweight has been angling for a rematch since defeating Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286. Speaking to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting, 'The Highlight' continued to push for the bout, stating:
"I think that's the obvious answer. He's No.2, he has no dance partner, and the same with me. I think that fight is certainly a title contention fight. The winner of the [Charles] Oliveira and [Beneil] Dariush fight, obviously they are going to fight for the title in October, so I need to fight Dustin in August, September, or October to put me on that perfect timeline."
Justin Gaethje added that he believes a lot has changed since his first meeting with Dustin Poirier in 2018, stating:
"I think we're both different fighters. Obviously, that was five years ago so yeah, it's a different ballgame, but a fight's a fight. At the end of the day, I think he's got phenomenal skills, he's a hell of a matchup for me, and nothing short of Fight of the Century again."
Check out Justin Gaethje's full comments on Dustin Poirier below (starting at the 13:41 mark):
Gaethje added that people around him don't believe 'The Diamond' will take the bout due to the risk of damage. The No.3-ranked lightweight disagreed, however, noting that the bout would likely be a No.1 lightweight contender fight. He claimed that he would want the bout to be three rounds as his pay is the same regardless.
Dustin Poirier responds to Justin Gaethje's call-out
Justin Gaethje has been angling to face Dustin Poirier since defeating Rafael Fiziev in a three-round war at UFC 286. Following yet another call out, in which 'The Highlight' alleged that people around believe the No.2-ranked lightweight will turn down the bout, 'The Diamond' took to Twitter to seemingly confirm his interest in a rematch of UFC on Fox 29 with four words, stating:
"Fight of the century."
Check out Dustin Poirier's response to Justin Gaethje below:
Fight of the century.
While Poirier did not mention Gaethje, he referenced the 'Fight of the Century' comment that the No.3-ranked lightweight gave in his recent interview with Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. The No.2-ranked lightweight was able to defeat 'The Highlight' via fourth-round TKO in a 2018 bout that was named Fight of the Night. Several publications have also labeled the UFC on Fox 29 main event as the 2018 Fight of the Year.