When UFC president Dana White teased a big fight for [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] but ruled out Tony Ferguson as his opponent, one name came to a lot of people’s minds: [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag].
While that doesn’t make any sense from a rankings standpoint, Gaethje would see a potential matchup as a simple matter of business should it come to fruition.
“I mean, with the way this sport works, I’m no fool,” Gaethje told MMA Junkie on Monday. “He’s (one of the) top three biggest superstars in the sport even though he hasn’t fought in a long time. And in the position I’m in, I need a win. It could be Nate Diaz, it could be Rafael dos Anjos, it could be Charles Oliveira, it could be Michael Chandler, it could be Conor McGregor. And when I attain that win, I will then get the title shot.
“A win against Nate Diaz is just as good a win, right now for me, as Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor.”
Diaz (20-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC), who isn’t in the UFC’s official lightweight rankings, hasn’t fought since November 2019 when he lost to Jorge Masvidal in the inaugural “BMF” title fight. At this point in his career, the 35-year-old Diaz seems to be interested in only the biggest fights possible, of which Gaethje would qualify.
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When he returns to the cage, Gaethje (22-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will look to rebound from his UFC 254 title-fight loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov last October. Gaethje, who was on a four-fight winning streak prior to that, wants to get back to another title shot. If that means having to beat Diaz – even if the fight doesn’t make sense – then so be it.
“A win is a win. You know how this sport works. True is true,” Gaethje said. “You’ve seen it countless times: It’s not necessarily the right thing, it’s the right business thing. I’ve got to keep putting myself in that position.”
Gaethe isn’t sure when he’ll fight again – whether it’s against Diaz or someone else. But he indicated there’s nothing standing in his way from a health standpoint.
“My body’s 99 percent. Never gonna be a hundred at 32 years old, but I feel great,” Gaethje said. “Mind is ready. I’m ready to get to work, put the work in. Ten to 12 weeks from whenever they call me with an opponent, that’s when I’m fighting.”
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