Justin Gaethje offers up rare praise for Conor McGregor in an attempt to justify BMF title fight

Justin Gaethje has praised Conor McGregor while attempting to justify his upcoming BMF title fight against Dustin Poirier.

Despite never fighting each other, Gaethje and McGregor have never shared kind words, as a result, their relationship has always seemed quite sour. However, during a recent appearance on the Fighting and Finance Podcast, 'The Highlight' offered rare praise for 'The Notorious'.

Justin Gaethje was speaking about why fighting for the BMF title makes sense business-wise despite the title having no credibility attached to it. The 34-year-old then went on to compliment Conor McGregor and gave two specific reasons for his success, while attempting to further justify his upcoming BMF title fight:

"It's more rare than any other belt and this is the entertainment and that is what we do. You know Conor McGregor is the most paid athlete in this sport by far because of a specific reason, two specific reasons, he's an amazing fighter and you know, he's entertaining as hell. So those two things, perfect combination."

Catch Justin Gaethje's comments below (2:32):

Justin Gaethje shares his plans for retirement

Gaethje was last seen in action at UFC 286 against Rafael Fiziev. Going into the fight as an underdog, 'The Highlight' walked away with an impressive victory and also declared that he would make one last title run before walking away from the sport.

While speaking about his retirement plans and timeline, Gaethje recently claimed that he still has at least a couple of years of fighting left in him. During an interview with MMA Fighting, the 34-year-old said:

“I would say by 37, I would like to not be doing this anymore. I’m 34 now. Two or three years is a long time but in the greater scheme of things, it’s not that long. I’ve been doing this for 12-15 years, so ultimately, it is the back end of my career in this sport. We’re so emotional after these fights that I wouldn’t believe anything that we say for a week. It was just my thought process after like I’m not gonna be here, forever, so I’m glad that you guys are here to enjoy this with me. I was truly talking to the fans in that moment.”

Catch his comments below:

Justin Gaethje talks about being on the "back end" of his career and wanting to retire by 37.

▶️ youtu.be/cGPV1CdgMI8 (via @DamonMartin) https://t.co/dWCPWTfs5A

As of now, Justin Gaethje is scheduled for a highly anticipated rematch against Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. The two have previously shared the octagon back in 2018 when 'The Diamond' walked away with a fourth-round TKO.