Justin Gaethje predicts fight with Conor McGregor: “He doesn’t want to go to hell, so…”
Though it’s not certain that their paths will cross, Justin Gaethje plans on putting Conor McGregor through hell if they ever do.
The two lightweights have been at each others throats on several occasions since both ascending the divisional rankings. The two were supposed to face off in a supposed 2019 bout, but McGregor was forced out with an injury. Now Gaethje holds the interim lightweight title, and McGregor has announced his third retirement. Gaethje is now expected to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in a unification bout to crown the undisputed lightweight champ.
Despite having a clear opponent set, McGregor often slips into lightweight discussion, and Gaethje doesn’t think we’ve seen the last of the Irish superstar.
“I think he’ll fight again, I really do, I think he’ll fight again,” Gaethje said during an appearance on ESPN. “I think he should wait for the winner of me and Khabib. If I win I think he definitely comes back, if Khabib wins I don’t know, I’m not sure about that.
“He’s a legend, man, what he did was legendary status,” he added. ““I’ll never take that away from him. He deserves credit, he’s accomplished so much in this sport, what every fighter wants to attain hes accomplished. So, hats off to him, can’t wait to punch him in the face.”
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With the two seemingly having been on a collision coarse, many fans have spoken about what a McGregor vs Gaethje fight would look like. While there are several factors that would play a part in a potential bout between them, Gaethje believes that he would be the first to finish McGregor via strikes.
“Distance control is the No. 1 factor in any fight,” Gaethje said. “It’s established in the first 30 seconds. It’s not visible, but it’s established, and that would be a huge factor in our fight – who can control the distance. I think the best thing about me is I can kick the shit out of people. So when they are trying to control distance, or maybe they are winning at that, I can just kick them in the leg and try and reset that.”
“I think I would knock (McGregor) out, to be honest with you,” he continued. “I think he’s got about three rounds, and then it’s hell. And he doesn’t want to go to hell, so I think he’s good for now.”
While McGregor hasn’t commented on hos supposed retirement, most of the MMA community has taken it with a grain of salt. UFC president Dana White believes that McGregor should wait to fight the winner of Nurmagomedov vs Gaethje.
