{"id":79,"date":"2026-06-29T15:10:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/?p=79"},"modified":"2026-06-29T15:10:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:10:31","slug":"justin-gaethje-conor-mcgregor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/2026\/06\/29\/justin-gaethje-conor-mcgregor\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI Would Love to Punch Conor McGregor in the Face\u201d \u2013 Justin Gaethje Eyes Conor McGregor Legacy Fight Following UFC Freedom 250\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Justin Gaethje has faced a murderer\u2019s row of opponents since making his UFC debut against Michael Johnson in 2017. The American has exclusively fought ranked contenders and former champions at lightweight, sharing the Octagon with the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, Eddie Alvarez, and Paddy Pimblett. One notable name missing from that list, however, is Conor McGregor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That could soon change. Gaethje shocked the MMA world at UFC Freedom 250 by dethroning Ilia Topuria to capture the undisputed lightweight championship. Meanwhile, McGregor is finally <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/2026\/06\/28\/conor-mcgregor-venum-ufc-329\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">set to return after a five-year absence<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when he takes on Max Holloway at UFC 329 during International Fight Week on July 11.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Gaethje is expected to remain sidelined for the rest of 2026 due to the toll of years of wars inside the cage and a series of lingering injuries, he is already thinking about what comes next. Speaking on The Jim Rome Show, the reigning lightweight champion addressed his future, saying, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFor right now, I feel like I\u2019m going to fight again. That\u2019s what I feel inside my body. I haven\u2019t made a choice.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Gaethje has previously acknowledged Arman Tsarukyan as the most deserving contender at 155 pounds because of his recent run of dominance, he also made it clear that a potential showdown with McGregor is one that greatly interests him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He said, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYeah, I\u2019m very interested to see what happens in that fight. Max definitely knocked me out, but I feel like I got that win back with the Ilia Topuria fight. As I\u2019ve stated hundreds of times publicly. I would love to punch Conor McGregor in the face.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;As I&#8217;ve stated hundreds of times publicly: I would love to punch Conor McGregor in the face.&#8221;<a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Justin_Gaethje?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Justin_Gaethje<\/a> on the <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/UFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#UFC<\/a> legend&#8217;s return to the Octagon. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hYdNy6p1v6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/hYdNy6p1v6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jim Rome (@jimrome) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jimrome\/status\/2070629426207875314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/2026\/06\/28\/tom-aspinall-and-alex-pereira\/\" target=\"_self\">Tom Aspinall Backs Alex Pereira in Criticizing Herb Dean After UFC Baku Officiating Controversy<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gaethje was referring to his unforgettable clash <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=h9KBcib8pHc\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with Holloway at UFC 300<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In one of the most iconic moments in UFC history, the two exchanged strikes in the center of the Octagon during the closing seconds of the fight before Holloway landed a devastating knockout punch with just one second remaining on the clock. The finish instantly became one of the most memorable knockouts the sport has ever seen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, with Topuria later knocking out Holloway at UFC 308 and Gaethje subsequently defeating the Spaniard <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EZhKFhRFnao\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to claim the lightweight title<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the champion believes the circle has effectively been completed, leveling the score in his mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gaethje also discussed what a potential fight with McGregor could mean for both his legacy and earning power, while acknowledging the Irishman\u2019s unmatched drawing ability in the sport. He added, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt he\u2019s one of the biggest superstars in the sport. Fighting a guy like that obviously does great things for me financially and for my legendary status and stuff like that. I\u2019m excited about that fight. I\u2019m excited to be there and then watch it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For context, McGregor recently shared his assessment of Gaethje during a UFC media appearance with Paramount, offering a mixed review of the lightweight champion\u2019s abilities. He said, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMax has flatlined Justin. He knocked him out. Face down. Out cold. Justin\u2019s ok. When he\u2019s on, Justin\u2019s ok. When he\u2019s bad, he\u2019s atrocious. He\u2019s woeful. He slaps his punches a lot. But he\u2019s very, very durable, and he\u2019s unorthodox in his style.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8 Conor McGregor says he&#8217;d be open to fighting either Justin Gaethje or Islam Makhachev for the belt after Max Holloway. \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udfe2On Justin Gaethje:<br \/>\n&#8220;I think Gaethje is good when he&#8217;s on, but when he&#8217;s off, he&#8217;s atrocious. I fancy my chances against him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udfe2On Islam Makhachev:\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FrPXZWFKNM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/FrPXZWFKNM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MMA_PROS_PICK_\/status\/2067086691760796054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If McGregor is able to get past Holloway in his long-awaited return at UFC 329, a clash with Gaethje would instantly become one of the biggest fights the UFC could make. That said, McGregor\u2019s long-term plans remain uncertain.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The former two-division champion has repeatedly suggested that he now considers himself a natural welterweight and may prefer to continue his career at 170 pounds rather than return to the lightweight division full-time. As a result, much could hinge on the outcome of July 11 and how McGregor looks in his comeback performance against Holloway.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justin Gaethje has faced a murderer\u2019s row of opponents since making his UFC debut against Michael Johnson in 2017. The American has exclusively fought ranked contenders and former champions at lightweight, sharing the Octagon with the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, Eddie Alvarez, and Paddy Pimblett. One notable name missing from that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5886,"featured_media":80,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[18,29,30,19],"class_list":["post-79","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ufc","tag-conor-mcgregor","tag-ilia-topuria","tag-justin-gaethje","tag-max-holloway"],"modified_by":"Kshitiz Kumar Singh","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5886"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79\/revisions\/82"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/mma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}