At UFC 257 this past weekend, Dustin Poirier got his revenge, knocking out Conor McGregor in the second round of their main event fight. The win set up Poirier to fight for the (soon-to-be) vacant lightweight title in his next bout, with the question being who would that be against. Ever on brand, McGregor has suggested a trilogy bout between the two for the title would make sense and that has raised the ire of another guy looking to get one back against Poirier: Justin Gaethje.

Speaking with ESPN recently, Gaethe addressed McGregor’s call for a title shot, calling it ridiculous and admitting that he felt some schadenfreude watching McGregor get knocked out.

“I think he’s an elite fighter,” Gaethje said. “What do that have him ranked at, six? I think he should be ahead of Tony (Ferguson) in the rankings. But for him to come out and say he wants a title shot next, a rematch versus Poirier, or his coach, they are f*cking idiots. He’s been treated special over and over and over and he didn’t capitalize on this opportunity. That event was for him, that event was for him to win, and he wants to be Mr. Humble now but you know he would be an asshole if he won that fight.

“So I don’t feel bad for him. I’m happy for Poirier. I’m happy Poirier went out there and did his job and finished him. I love seeing a loudmouth get knocked out. There is nothing that makes me happier. Seeing a piece of sh*t get put down, that was great, I loved it.”

Gaethje and McGregor have a bit of history of their own. Like basically every lightweight on the UFC roster, Gaethje has been calling for a fight with “Notorious” for some time and Gaethje was rumored to be on the short list for McGregor’s return fight in 2020. Ultimately, McGregor ended up fighting Donald Cerrone instead, but after Gaethje won an interim title later that year, rumors renewed about a matchup between the two while Khabib Nurmagomedov sat out. In the end, Gaethje waited for his title shot, losing by second-round submission to Khabib at UFC 254. Gaethje has not competed since then but he has stated that his goal is to get back to a title shot and to do so, he believes he needs to win one more fight, unless the UFC decides to go ahead and give McGregor a title shot. Then, Gaethje says, he may just walk away.

“I would think about never fighting in the UFC again if he fights for a title again,” Gaethje said. “That would be preposterous. For one, he’s sitting at number six, he’s won one fight in his entire life in the lightweight division, and he picks and chooses who he fights. So I have no respect for him in that manner. Yeah, I would like to fight him (but) I don’t think it should be my next fight.”

For Gaethje, there are really only a couple of options that makes sense for his next bout. Currently ranked number two in the division and believing he needs a win before facing Poirier for the title, the most obvious contenders would be third-ranked Charles Oliveira and fourth-ranked Michael Chandler. The latter turned in an impressive promotional debut at UFC 257, knocking out Dan Hooker in the first round. For Gaethje, either of those two men would make sense.

“It was an awesome weekend for us lightweights,” Gaethje said. “It really shook up the division. It’s really going to make the UFC matchmakers come together and come up with some ideas. There’s a lot of options. I saw they moved Dustin ahead of me in the rankings, deservedly so. He is one, I’m two, Charles (Oliveira) is three, (Michael) Chandler is four. No matter what, I got to get my revenge with Poirier, so I’m going to make it there no matter how I gotta get there.”

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TOP STORIES

Plans. Michael Chandler now eyes Dustin Poirier for UFC title, hopes ‘bored’ Khabib Nurmagomedov returns.

Confidence. Georges St-Pierre suggests what Conor McGregor needs to do to come back from Dustin Poirier loss.

Smash. Coach Javier Mendez questions Conor McGregor’s preparation for UFC 257.

Entitled. Darren Till gives his side of viral police confrontation: ‘You’re here to serve us, not to harass us’.

Stand up. Mario Yamasaki plans return to MMA refereeing this year.

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VIDEO STEW

The A-Side Live Chat.

Previewing a Fightlore on Sakuraba.

Burns talking about his fight with Usman.

Conor’s comeback.

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LISTEN UP

Heavy Hands. Discussing Dustin Poirier’s big win over Conor McGregor.

UFC Unfiltered. Interviews with Ben Askren and Belal Muhammad.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

What a good dude.

Daniel cormier giving Khabib the UFC Submission of the Year award.

Update.

Sounds like the man is back.

Damn.

Beef.

New look.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Karol Rosa (13-3) vs. Joselyne Edwards (10-2); UFC Vegas 18, Feb. 6.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

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EXIT POLL

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