Will the interim Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje fight Conor McGregor?
Is Conor McGregor vs Justin Gaethje the fight to make?
Stablemates are close. Sometimes they are closer than teammates or actual brothers. At Dominance MMA, Ali Abdelaziz has put that system into play. And Khabib Nurmagomedov is the big brother there.
When he speaks it's like the old saying about Warren Buffett. "When he speaks, people listen". And he recently gave his blessings for Justin Gaethje to put his interim lightweight title on the line with "The Notorious" Conor McGregor.
That put the ball in "The Highlights" court and Gaethje nixed that idea. In theory, an interim and recognized champ should unify a belt before it's defended. But these are not normal times. Aside from the world still being under the grip of the coronavirus, there are also questions about Khabib's future.
As close as the undefeated Dagestani and his manager are, the only one who truly knows what's in his mind is Nurmagomedov. There still remains a strong possibility that due to the death of his father, he walks away from the sport. There's nothing more left for Khabib Nurmagomedov to prove, and his father left a large legacy for him. He could always follow that and train the future generations of great Sambo fighters out of the country.
So Conor McGregor hearing that Justin Gaethje nixed the chatter, did what was expected. He went to social media. He posted images of the three of them, a laughing emoji and a pile of poo emoji but McGregor then took that tweet down. But make no mistake, the Irishman would love that fight.
With Justin not going heavy into his wrestling, even back in the World Series Of Fighting days; it's a slugfest. Like Conor McGregor or not, that's his forte. However, Gaethje has jumped up levels thanks to Trevor Whittman recently, both in throwing hands and calf kicks.
Ali pointed out more facts, Conor McGregor is ranked 4th and he could use more wins before a title comes into play. Although neither has ever really dictated title fights. With name value, he doesn't even need a belt involved fight.
There's the trilogy with Nate Diaz, the fight against Jorge Masvidal, a rematch against Dustin Poirier, a fight against Tony Ferguson, or even the rising Dan Hooker, a go at another Ali's client and reigning UFC Welterweight Champion in Kamaru Usman. Or any other welterweight for that matter because at 170, Conor McGregor has always physically looked the best.
Will Conor McGregor vs Justin Gaethje take place in the Octagon?
Conor McGregor said it best himself "it's red p**ty night when you sign on to fight me". And while it might not be acceptable to Team Justin, it's hard to say no to that fight. Especially with the improvements, he's made. And should Khabib decide he's had enough, that Gaethje-McGregor match up becomes an undisputed title fight.
The Gaethje camp has not come out publicly with a reason not to cash in on the matchup. The eyes of the world would be glued to their screens. It's just a shame that the company would lose a gate on it.