In less than a month, Justin Gaethje will take on Tony Ferguson for the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship. Originally, Ferguson was set to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the Lightweight title; however, Nurmagomedov was forced to pull out of the event due to the coronavirus.
The reigning Lightweight Champion previously stated that Gaethje would be the next challenger if he beat Ferguson, and the Arizona native is set out to prove why he’ll the next man to step up and take away the 155-pound belt from the Russia native:
“When they wrap that belt around me, it won’t be a destination. It will be a map – a map to the top,” Gaethje told ESPN. “That’s how I’m looking at it. It will be nice to have a belt wrapped around you, but for me, it won’t mean the same. It won’t mean that I’m a world champion in the UFC.
“When I beat Tony, I’m fighting Khabib next, because that’s what I’m here for. I’m here to try and be the best in the world and when I fight him, I want him to try and kill me, because I won’t respect him if he doesn’t.”
Many were clamoring to see the highly anticipated fight between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov, including Justin Gaethje himself. However, the 31-year-old is here to be the Lightweight Champion, and Gaethje has no problems delaying the eventual match-up between the two veterans:
“I want to see that fight just as much as anybody, but to put food on my table, I have to go,” Gaethje said. “I really don’t care about that. I will feel a little bit bad because I know how bad people want it, but for me to act like it’ll bother me, that would be a lie. I’ll be very happy to royally screw that up.”