Yesterday, ESPN's Brett Okamoto interviewed Justin Gaethje. The biggest takeaway from the interview happens to be how Gaethje views his future matchups. When Okamoto asked Gaethje who his next opponent would be without hesitation Gaethje responded by saying "I think the obvious fight is Poirier. Not sure when, but I think that's the obvious fight. With Oliveira fighting Dariush in May I think that's the only fight out there for me right now." Gaethje vs Poirier 2 is a fight every MMA fan around the world wants to see. I'm sure Gaethje has wanted that fight for a while since Dustin is one of Gaethje's only non-title fight losses. Gaethje also mentioned how if he doesn't fight Dustin he'll probably fight the loser of Oliveira/Dariush as the winner will most likely face Islam Makhachev for the title.
Okamoto asked Gaethje what he thinks of the rematch with Poirier and Justin responded by saying "It's exciting. I'm a much different, more mature fighter, as is he. But I think we're two of the best in the world, neither one of us have a fight lined up. So yeah, like you said no brainer." He's right, it is a no-brainer. Based on Dustin's Twitter it's safe to say he agrees being he retweeted ESPN's tweet regarding that portion of the interview. Justin told Okamoto he would like to fight in or after August. He would prefer to be left off the Abu Dhabi card in October unless he absolutely has to be there.
Gaethje was also asked if the fight is booked with Poirier should it be three or five rounds and he basically just told Okamoto he prefers three-round fights. He feels with his gas tank he can beat most guys in a five-round fight, but he doesn't like to conserve his energy as much which is why he prefers a three round fight so he can just get after it. Gaethje also mentioned how they pay him 25k extra for a five-round fight and he feels the 25k is not worth the risk of remaining in the cage for ten more minutes. I hope we get to see Poirier vs Gaethje 2 soon. As Gaethje said, it is the obvious fight to make!
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