Justin Gaethje has been lusting over a potential bout with Conor McGregor for some time. Few took the Irishman at his word when he threatened retirement in late March of last year. McGregor has been fervently active on social media, with fighter's FOMO, every time a catalyst passes him up the UFC charts.
It was also apparent that McGregor wasn't actually interested in leaving the sport, but entering a labor dispute with his employers at the UFC, whom he believes, owe him an ownership stake for his contributions to the brand - none of which is of any concern to Justin Gaethje, the UFC's #5 ranked Lightweight, as of this writing.
"Of course I want to f**k him up. I see him punch an old man, do I want to punch him for that? F**k yeah, I want to f**k that dude up for s**t like that," Gaethje said of McGregor and his latest transgression, a PR-nightmare of a bar fight in Ireland. "He looks like a crackhead on your video."
Gaethje reiterated his desire to fight McGregor while partaking in an episode of TMZ Sports on FS1. Although his mid-term projections are now fully-evident, if Gaethje doesn't get past a tough Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 158, he will likely miss out on the McGregor sweepstakes, as the Irishman looks set to fight on the biggest spotlight possible, commensurate with his selling power within the sport.
"Hey I got f**king business in front of me, I got 'Cowboy.' And then I'm your huckleberry," Gaethje says ... "I'm right here, this s**t has to go forward, has to move on. He's either in or out."