Justin Gaethje responds to callout from Conor McGregor

Justin Gaethje has responded after being called out by former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor.

Gaethje (25-4 MMA) returned to the Octagon in tonight’s UFC 291 main event for a rematch with Dustin Poirier (29-8 MMA) that saw the BMF title up for grabs.

Gaethje and Poirier had of course previously collided in April of 2018, with ‘The Diamond’ emerging victorious by way of fourth-round TKO.

Justin Gaethje (25-4 MMA) had entered tonight’s headliner looking to build off the majority decision win he scored over Rafael Fiziev back in March. ‘The Highlight’ had won three of his past five Octagon appearances, with his two losses in that time coming by way of submission against opponents Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.

Meanwhile, Dustin Poirier (29-8 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since defeating Michael Chandler by submission in November of last year. The Louisianna native had won four of his past five fights overall, with his lone loss in the stretch coming against former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.

Tonight’s main event rematch lived up to the hype for as long as it lasted. The lightweight standouts traded heavy shots right from the get-go, but most pros and analysts had ‘The Diamond’ up one round after the opening five minutes. However, Poirier’s momentum proved to be short lived, as ‘The Highlight’ sent him crashing to the canvas after landing a head kick early in round two. From there, Gaethje leaped in with one final hammer fist before the referee stepped in to wave off the contest.

While many fellow fighters were quick to congratulate Justin Gaethje on his stunning knockout victory, Conor McGregor was singing a very different tune.

Justin, I’ll slap you around

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 30, 2023

“Justin, I’ll slap you around.” – McGregor first tweeted.

‘Notorious’ then went on to suggest he would move on from his proposed fight with Michael Chandler if Justin Gaethje called him out.

I’m the real bmf, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots, I’m in it to launch shots, fuck chandler, you want it call for it.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 30, 2023

“I’m the real bmf, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots, I’m in it to launch shots, fuck chandler, you want it call for it.”

Gaethje appeared moments ago at tonight’s UFC 291 post-fight press conference and was quickly asked to address McGregor’s comments.

“I think he’s turned me down six times. Usually, you have to lose to fight him”

Justin Gaethje continued:

“I don’t really care… I like to fight big fights; I like exciting things and it sounds pretty exciting to me. I’m not going to fight someone on steroids.”

Would you like to see a Gaethje vs. McGregor fight booked next?