UFC: Justin Gaethje out to ‘royally screw up’ Khabib vs Tony Ferguson match-up
- Gaethje admits as a fan he wants to see Khabib fight Ferguson as much as anybody, but says ‘I really don’t care’ if he spoils the party
- ‘The Highlight’ won’t be happy with interim title if he beats Ferguson – ‘I’m fighting Khabib next because I want to be the best in the world’
With Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson getting scrapped for a fifth time simply building even more anticipation for the match-up, you’d think the UFC would keep both guys on ice.
But with lightweight champ Khabib stranded in Russia amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and about to begin Ramadan (which rules him out from fighting again until August at the earliest), the UFC is switching gears.
Justin Gaethje is stepping into the breach to fight Ferguson for the interim lightweight title, reportedly on May 9 in Florida after the original April 18 date for UFC 249 was nixed. And he thinks the MMA gods might be trying to send a message.
“Unless they want the world to end they should probably leave that fight alone,” he told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, laughing.
And it Gaethje (21-2) notches a win against Ferguson (25-3), we may not see that fight between the two men on 12-0 streaks in the UFC for a while – if ever.