Justin Gaethje ready to fight Conor McGregor in UFC than avenge past losses

Throughout his illustrious career, UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje has fought some of the top fighters in the industry. However, he is yet to square off against Conor McGregor. And with McGregor now injured, the chances of fighting are slowly fading away. Despite the very few chances, Gaethje has expressed his interest in fighting the Irishman.

McGregor recently returned to the UFC after a five-year absence, facing Max Holloway. He made a comeback at UFC 329 after dealing with a string of controversies and injuries. Unfortunately, his comeback was cut short by a devastating ACL injury that required surgery.

Gaethje has taken on the likes of Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, Ilia Topuria, Dustin Poirier, Eddie Alvarez, and several more. However, during those fights, he suffered a brutal knockout loss to Holloway and was choked out by Oliveira. Despite these losses, the 37-year-old is more interested in fighting McGregor than in avenging those two losses.

“Damn, there’s really no one,” Gaethje said. “It would have been Oliveira or Holloway, but since [Ilia] Topuria beat them, I’m going to go ahead and justify it to myself like I got them back,” Gaethje told CBS Sports’ Damien Harris. “So I guess [Conor] McGregor. Fun to shut him up.”

Justin Gaethje on the opportunity of fighting Conor McGregor in UFC

Previously, Gaethje stated he wasn’t interested in fighting McGregor, but he wouldn’t refuse the opportunity if it arose. “If it came to my table, I would entertain it,” he recently said when asked about a potential fight with McGregor. But I would doubt that. He’s going through his own stuff. I don’t even want to talk s**t on that guy anymore. I’ve done it. That doesn’t work because I’ve tried.”

McGregor is currently out injured but has vowed to have his last UFC fight in 2027. While McGregor might require around 12 more months to recover, Gaethje is also recovering from his damaged fists after his win over Ilia Topuria in Jun. 2026.

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