UFC 249: Justin Gaethje wants Conor McGregor after Khabib – ‘I’ll go to Ireland and do what I gotta do’
- New interim champ isn’t entertaining idea of a fight with McGregor before he unifies lightweight titles
- ‘No, I want the biggest challenge in the world and that’s Khabib Nurmagomedov,’ says Gaethje
Justin Gaethje isn’t entertaining the idea of a fight with Conor McGregor any time soon, saying he wants the “biggest challenge” in UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
But that doesn’t mean the new interim champ hasn’t got his sights set on the Irishman.
“No, I want the biggest challenge in the world and that's Khabib Nurmagomedov,” Gaethje said at the UFC 249 post-event press conference, when asked if he would possibly think of fighting McGregor next instead of Nurmagomedov.
“USA vs Dagestan and then I'll go to Ireland and do what I gotta do.”
Gaethje shocked the MMA world and shook up the UFC lightweight division with an upset victory over Tony Ferguson in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday night.
But while he wore his new belt for his post-event media duties, Gaethje threw the interim title down in the centre of the Octagon after UFC president Dana White had wrapped it around his waist, saying “I want the real one”.
