Justin Gaethje says he will punch Dana White in the nose if the promotion grants Conor McGregor a title shot

Justin Gaethje has claimed that he will punch UFC president Dana White in the nose if Conor McGregor winds up receiving a title shot.

Gaethje has been making headlines fairly regularly as of late, mainly due to his desire to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Championship. After stringing together three straight wins via TKO or KO, “The Highlight” firmly believes that he should be next in line to challenge “The Eagle”.

During a recent interview with ESPN, Gaethje let the world know what he would do if Conor McGregor ends up being the man to receive a shot against Khabib next.

“I cannot take that into account,” said Gaethje, when asked about the possibility of Khabib vs McGregor 2. “I’ll get fired. I’ll punch [White] in the f**king nose. If you’re going to take away an opportunity off my table, then I’m going to f**king fight you. I don’t know what you want me to do.

“It’s not fair, and I’m not going to stand for it. I’m very levelheaded. I respect the boss. But if he f**king tries … that is going to war.”

You’d have to imagine that Gaethje is being slightly extreme about his remarks, but if it continues to get the attention of White, then we’re almost certainly going to see a resolution to this issue one way or the other.

The next logical step would appear to be a Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje fight with the winner going on to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the title, but many fans have noted that it wouldn’t really feel like a number one contender’s fight for the Lightweight Championship if it takes place at welterweight – which would reportedly be McGregor’s preference.

Either way, it doesn’t seem as if this situation is going to die down anytime soon.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/9/2020.