"One guy that has no fear" - Daniel Cormier warns Conor McGregor about the dangers of potential Justin Gaethje matchup
Conor McGregor has shared his interest in facing Justin Gaethje for the symbolic 'BMF' title, which the latter won at UFC 291 last month. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier recently shared that he believes 'The Highlight' represents a difficult opponent for 'The Notorious'.
Speaking on his self-titled YouTube channel, the former double champ stated:
"While this is a fun fight, on the surface I believe this is a much more dangerous fight for Conor McGregor because Justin Gaethje is now the No.1 contender in waiting and if there's one thing that could strengthen his case for a title fight, it's a win over Conor McGregor. So when you're Justin Gaethje, he said, 'I'm not going to fight a guy on steroids' which makes sense, but if you got that opportunity in front of you, and USADA is going to test him, why not?"
Cormier continued:
"He's a fantastic fighter and his performance over Dustin Poirier showed that this guy is still improving. So, a McGregor vs. Gaethje fight would blow the doors off of any arena, and it's because Justin Gaethje is one guy that has no fear of anything that McGregor brings to the octagon... because it's Conor talking, even though he's on a losing streak, even though he's been inactive, Justin Gaethje will pay attention as he should."
Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje below (starting at the 5:28 mark):
While McGregor has expressed an interest in facing Gaethje, he did note that he will first fight Michael Chandler. The two fighters coached opposing sides on season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter. While it appeared that their bout was in danger of failing to materialize, 'The Notorious' claimed that they will fight in December.
Daniel Cormier believes Justin Gaethje should fight for title instead of fighting Conor McGregor
While Justin Gaethje has traded words with Conor McGregor, UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier does not believe that is the bout he should be targeting. Speaking on DC & RC following UFC 291, the former double champion was asked what he believes the 'BMF' champion should do next, stating:
"It’s title fight or bust for me. This guy needs to be able to fight for a championship because that’s all he did, and that’s all he wants to do. He said last week or last time he fought against [Rafael] Fiziev that it was one more run at a championship opportunity. Well now, that is happening. It’s happening right now, the ability to fight the winner of [Charles] Oliveira vs. [Islam] Makhachev, and I think he’s better prepared for it now."
Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Justin Gaethje below (starting at the 10:38 mark):
Despite their war of words on social media and the potential payday, it is difficult to envision Gaethje passing up a title opportunity to face McGregor. 'The Highlight' appears next in line to fight for the lightweight title and will likely face the winner of the UFC 294 bout between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.