Justin Gaethje – Syndication Server

Dana White dismisses claim of Conor McGregor ducking Justin Gaethje repeatedly

Dana White doubts Conor McGregor turned down Justin Gaethje multiple times, as manager Ali Abdelaziz claims.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] doubts [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] turned down [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] multiple times.

According to Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, McGregor has said no to fighting Gaethje on five different occasions in past years. McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) have traded barbs in the past but never fought each other.

“He (McGregor) got offered this fight at least five times,” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “He never wanted to have to do anything with Justin Gaethje. He said the reason he didn’t want to fight Justin was because Justin talked bad to him on Twitter and Instagram before, and the history we have with him. He didn’t want to lose to our team, I guess.

“Even the UFC told me this. ‘Hey, leave him alone. Don’t talk with him. He doesn’t like to fight people who talk bad to him on the internet. I promise you. He likes to be the one to start the talk and you retaliate.’ Why do you think (Michael) Chandler’s being so nice to him? Why? Because he was being told not to talk bad to Conor.”

White was asked about those allegations, and based on his history with McGregor, the UFC CEO doesn’t think that’s something he would do. White recounted the time McGregor agreed to fight Chad Mendes on short notice after Jose Aldo pulled out of their UFC 189 fight due to a broken rib.

”I don’t know if that’s true,” White said Tuesday during the Dana White’s Contender Series 75 post-fight news conference at the UFC Apex. “I’ve said this many times, and I’ll say it again: I mean, we actually have video footage of Lorenzo and I walking into his house that he (McGregor) was renting here. He just woke up, telling him that the fight fell out, and he’s literally leaving going, ‘Well, I’m going to train, let me know who I’m fighting when I get back.’ We’ve never had those kind of issues with Conor McGregor ever.”

McGregor is yet to return since breaking his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He was booked to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June but withdrew due to a broken pinky toe. Chandler has since moved on and is scheduled to rematch Charles Oliveira in the UFC 309 co-main event on Nov. 16 in New York.

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Renato Moicano agrees with Chael Sonnen that Justin Gaethje would be a good fight

Renato Moicano is all in for a fight with Justin Gaethje.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] is all in for a fight with [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag].

Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) battered Benoit Saint Denis en route to a second-round doctor’s stoppage TKO September at UFC Fight Night 243 in Paris.

Moicano’s star continued to rise after notching his fourth-straight win, and the Brazilian thinks the sky is the limit for him with his ever growing popularity.

“Now, the best thing is that you don’t need to rely on nobody,” Moicano said on his “Show Me The Money” podcast. “Sometimes to get a title fight, you need big names like Gaethje or you need somebody who fought for the title. Right now, you just have to keep winning.

“It doesn’t matter who you fight now. It could be Paddy Pimblett. It could be Dan Hooker. It could be Justin Gaethje. It doesn’t matter. One more win, two more wins, doesn’t matter – you’re going to fight for the title because now people start to recognize you.”

Paddy Pimblett still interests Moicano, but he’d want to up the stakes for that fight. As for Dan Hooker, Moicano is ready to move on to an even bigger fight – Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), which Chael Sonnen called a no brainer of a matchup. Moicano fought with a shoulder injury in his win over Saint Denis, but insists he’d be ready before the end of the year.

“To be completely honest with you, Paddy Pimblett is a good fight because he is famous, but I would rather fight with him if we do ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ because that’s going to be funny and a lot of exposure,” Moicano said. “Other than that, for just a fight, I would rather face Justin Gaethje because I think Dan Hooker is not going to get the fight. He had the opportunity now to say let’s fight, but he’s saying that I dodged him in Perth.

“That’s not true. They didn’t offer me that fight. Let’s make the fight for December. I’m telling you that I’m ready for December, January. It doesn’t matter. But if Dan Hooker doesn’t want that fight, let’s go with Justin Gaethje. I saw Chael Sonnen talking about that and I agree with him: Justin Gaethje would be a good fight. It doesn’t matter, brother. I’m coming for the gold, my brother. I will be f*cking champion of this division.”

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Chael Sonnen pitches Justin Gaethje vs. Renato Moicano, calls matchup ‘glaringly obvious’

Chael Sonnen argues that Justin Gaethje is exactly the type of fight Renato Moicano needs.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] argues that [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] is exactly the type of fight [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] needs.

Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) battered Benoit Saint Denis en route to a second-round doctor’s stoppage TKO in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 headliner in Paris. The outspoken lightweight made the most of his time on the mic, and Sonnen would like to see him get a big name to help catapult his stardom to the next level.

“Moicano’s next fight is Justin Gaethje,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “Now, that is exactly what my response would be. For me, that’s like glaringly obvious.”

Moicano called out Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker, two fan favorites. But Sonnen thinks a win over former interim champion Gaethje would open all the doors for “Money Moicano.”

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), who’s coming off a knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April, isn’t currently booked. Prior to the Holloway loss, Gaethje beat Rafael Fiziev, then knocked out Dustin Poirier.

“If you got over on Dustin Poirier, you could then do anything,” Sonnen said. “Fight for titles, main events, there’d be no argument that you couldn’t fit nicely into. And Justin Gaethje brings those same accolades, but there’s one difference, which is you don’t have to be as careful with the bookings of Gaethje because he is not in a situation where he’s saying my next one is my final one.”

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Justin Gaethje reveals ‘list’ of desired next UFC opponents; Dustin Poirier responds

Justin Gaethje isn’t ruling out one more run at the UFC lightweight title, and he sees four realistic opponents to make the first step.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] isn’t ruling out one more run at the UFC lightweight title, and he sees four realistic opponents to make the first step.

Despite suffering the worst loss of his career with a highlight-reel knockout against Max Holloway in their BMF title fight at UFC 300 in April, Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) is looking at the landscape of the 155-pound division and still sees some openings.

Champ Islam Makhachev is expected to defend against Arman Tsarukyan in early 2025 once he recovers from injury, but after that, there is no clear No. 1 contender. Gaethje thinks he could start rebuilding his resume if he gets one of four possible matchups.

“I think Dustin Poirier, I beat him, he fought for a belt (and) there’s always those certain set of circumstances that can happen which will lead to (a title shot),” Gaethje told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a recent media scrum. “I think this fight with (Makhachev) and Tsarukyan is the next fight, then there’s kind of another opportunity for somebody like how Dustin Poirier stepped in. There’s not a clear contender.

“I have to fight and win then I’m right back in there. I have a list. I think (Dan) Hooker, (Charles) Oliveira, Poirier and (Alexander) Volkanovski is a list of four people that I think any of those would do for me what I need to do to get back in the picture.”

The idea of another fight with Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) to settle their trilogy has been compelling to many MMA fans since Gaethje evened the series with a head kick knockout finish at UFC 291 in July 2023. “The Diamond” won the first meeting by fourth-round TKO at UFC on FOX 29 in April 2018.

Gaethje said the prospect of a rubber match with Poirier isn’t that compelling and would likely be at the bottom of his four-name list.

“No (I wouldn’t be bummed if we can’t settle the trilogy),” Gaethje said. “I walked out of there after we were 1-1, I said, ‘Let’s not do it again.’ I’m not saying I don’t want to or whatever, but that was the conversation we had that night because we’re 1-1 and we’re taking years from each other’s lives. So we can fight some of these young kids, but we’ll see what happens.”

Poirier caught wind of Gaethje’s comments and appeared to have a different opinion, welcoming the matchup on social media for his seemingly planned retirement fight.

https://www.twitter.com/DustinPoirier/status/1834614502798549323

With Gaethje, 35, having some opponent possibilities in mind, it’s now about determining the timeline. The former interim UFC champ vowed to take a legitimate break from sparring after the devastating knockout vs. Holloway at UFC 300, and although he’s stuck to his guns so far, he admits it’s getting more difficult to stay out of the gym.

“I said I was going to take six months before I sparred – it’s been four,” Gaethje said. “I’m going to have a difficult time making it six months because I’m itching, but I think I’m going to give it another month before I spar and then get back into camp. We’ll see. My coach, manager – they’ll decide (when the next fight is).”

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Justin Gaethje credits fight style for his bigger UFC paydays

Justin Gaethje has no intentions of changing his fighting style.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] has no intentions of changing his fighting style.

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has thrilled fans with exciting fights and finishes, but his willingness to stand and trade has cost him before. A prime example would be his most recent outing at UFC 300 where he was knocked out by Max Holloway in the final second of the fight.

Many questioned former NCAA Division-I All-American wrestler Gaethje for not attempting any takedowns vs. Holloway, but “The Highlight” has no regrets. He says both he and his bank account are happy with the way things have played out in his career.

“You know, this is my job. I do this for the money, and if I was to take a heavy wrestling approach, they would never be paying me what they’re paying me now,” Gaethje said in an interview with Title Sports Network. “I’ve had huge fights, pretty much because of the way that I fight, so I have no regrets.”

Owner of 13 UFC bonuses throughout his career, Gaethje now is looking to take some time off after a grueling battle against Holloway.

“I would say end of the year, early next year (I’ll be back). I’m in no rush,” Gaethje said. “Obviously with the fight that I just had, I want to take the time, rest my body, rest my head and get fired up again to go back in there and work my hardest.”

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Justin Gaethje: Dustin Poirier has ‘done so much in this sport,’ can’t complain whenever he gets UFC title shot

Justin Gaethje has no bitterness whatsoever towards Dustin Poirier for getting the next title shot.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] has no bitterness whatsoever towards [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] for getting the next title shot.

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) knocked out Poirier last July at UFC 291 to position himself as No. 1 contender, but opted to take another fight over waiting. He was knocked out by Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April. On the same night, Arman Tsarukyan defeated Charles Oliveira.

Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) took out Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in March, and wound up getting the next title shot after Tsarukyan couldn’t make a quick turnaround. “The Diamond” challenges lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in the UFC 302 headliner June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

“I think under the circumstances, he deserves it,” Gaethje said on Poirier in an interview with Title Sports Network. “The two contenders that came, Max Holloway and Arman Tsarukyan both just fought.

“Tsarukyan wasn’t (willing to turn around quickly, so) Poirier is the next best option. He’s done so much in this sport that you can’t really ever complain when he gets a title shot.”

Both Gaethje and Poirier were submitted by Makhachev’s mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov in title fights. While “The Highlight” doesn’t view Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s styles as identical, he says cardio will be key for Poirier.

“Well, we’ve both been in there with Khabib already, so we have an idea,” Gaethje said. “They’re obviously not the same fighter. They don’t fight the same styles. But they are both really heavy grappling. You’ve really just got to trust in your ability to grapple for the whole fight.

“If your cardio is there and you know you can survive those attacks, then eventually you’re going to get back to the feet and be able to cause damage if you’re in good enough shape.”

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For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Daniel Cormier uses Dustin Poirier as example to argue Justin Gaethje one win from UFC title shot

Daniel Cormier isn’t ready to remove Justin Gaethje’s name from the UFC lightweight title picture just yet.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] isn’t ready to remove [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag]’s name from the UFC lightweight title picture just yet.

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) was knocked out by Max Holloway in their BMF title fight at UFC 300, losing out on his No. 1 contender spot at lightweight. Javier Mendez saw Gaethje as UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s biggest threat but doesn’t think the pair will cross paths anytime soon.

However, Cormier disagrees. He pointed to Dustin Poirier as an example as he was knocked out by Gaethje at UFC 291 but rebounded by taking out Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. With Makhachev looking to defend his belt in June, Poirier slid into the opportunity.

“He (Poirier) said, ‘I am always one great win from fighting for a belt,'” Cormier said on his ESPN show “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “He goes out and knocks out Benoit Saint-Denis, Islam (Makhachev) doesn’t have an opponent, bang, insert Dustin Poirier.

“It always works, and I believe Justin Gaethje is in the same situation. Justin Gaethje is one win away from ultimately standing across the octagon from the champion because he’s that popular, he’s been that important, and all of the things he’s accomplished since he got to the UFC.”

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) defends his title against Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the UFC 302 main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

As for Gaethje, “The Highlight” recently released a statement saying that he plans on taking some time off and won’t resume contact training until at least six months. The knockout loss to Holloway snapped Gaethje’s two-fight winning streak, which came over Rafael Fiziev and Poirier.

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Justin Gaethje plans to limit physical training for ‘six months at least’ after UFC 300 knockout loss

Justin Gaethje intends to take a cautious approach with his long-term health in mind coming out of UFC 300.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] will take some extended time off after UFC 300.

Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) was knocked out by Max Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in an iconic last-second finish less than two weeks ago in Las Vegas. The fighter in Gaethje is willing to compete again soon, but he knows it’s best to let his brain heal after being put out cold.

“Metaphorically I could be ready tomorrow, but physically I think, again, I want to take care of myself,” Gaethje said on “The MMA Hangout.” “I do think that repeated concussions, you know, with me going to sleep like that, me receiving that shot, it would be foolish for me to jump back into training anytime before 180 days. I could do cardio. I can stay in shape.

“That’s what I want to try to do. Especially the older I get, the harder it is to get back to the best shape of my life. So, I want to stay active, but obviously the physical contact is going to be limited for quite some time just because I want to preserve myself. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I think six months at least is before I get back to taking shots, but that doesn’t say that I won’t be training the whole time. We’ll see. It’s a crazy game, see how the Dustin (Poirier) and (Islam) Makhachev fight goes, crazy game.”

Gaethje also broke his nose at the end of Round 1 courtesy of a spinning back kick from Holloway. However, “The Highlight” says it didn’t impact his performance in the fight.

“The crazy thing was the last one second, neither one of my coaches that were coming into the cage saw it happen,” Gaethje said. “They were working their way into the cage. They got to get their sh*t together, get their bucket together, get their ice together. So, they didn’t see it happen.

“I sat down and coach was like, ‘What the hell happened? You broke your nose.’ I was feeling my nose. I was trying to see how crooked it was. That’s the first time I ever broke my nose in a fight. … I don’t think it did (affect my breathing). I mean, I felt really good in there. I felt amazing in there.”

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Islam Makhachev’s coach: ‘Biggest threat’ Justin Gaethje no longer in UFC title picture

Javier Mendez believes UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s most dangerous opponent is out of the way.

Javier Mendez believes UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]’s most dangerous opponent is out of the way.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] lined himself up for a title shot after knocking out Dustin Poirier to claim the BMF title at UFC 291. However, he opted to defend his belt against Max Holloway at UFC 300 and was on the receiving end of a last-second knockout.

Now Mendez isn’t sure if Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) will ever face Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in a title fight.

“Yeah, to me, the guy out of all the guys that I thought for us stylistically was very dangerous out of all of them, I thought it was Justin Gaethje,” Mendez said on his YouTube channel. “Stylistically because of his wrestling pedigree and his striking is really good, strong.

“It’s all apples and oranges right? Because everybody brings a different skillset, so I thought that he was the biggest threat for us and now he’s probably never going to be in the picture for us going forward. So, no need to talk about him for us as a threat because he’s never going to be there, I think.”

Mendez already had to prep for Gaethje before when Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his title against him. Nurmagomedov submitted him in Round 2 at UFC 254 but lost Round 1 on two of the three judges’ scorecards.

Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the UFC 302 main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Waiting in the wings is Arman Tsarukyan, who edged out Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

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For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.