Justin Gaethje perplexed by Dana White’s criticism, details fights he declined

It has gradually become apparent in recent weeks that Justin Gaethje is likely the odd man out in the UFC lightweight title mix.

If things go the way the UFC’s accountants doubtlessly want, should Conor McGregor defeat Donald Cerrone on Jan. 18 at UFC 246, he would be next in line for the winner of the April matchup between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former interim champ Tony Ferguson.

This, despite 1. McGregor-Cerrone getting contested at welterweight; 2. McGregor not winning a fight in the lightweight division since 2016; 3. Nurmagomedov mauling McGregor in their UFC 229 matchup; 4. Gaethje has been on a tear in the division, winning his past three via first-round knockout.

So when White recently told ESPN “We’ve offered Gaethje a lot of fights that Gaethje hasn’t taken,” Gaethje was perplexed.

And Thursday, appearing on Sirius XM’s “MMA Tonight,” Gaethje responded to the UFC president’s criticism.

“I’ve been trying to figure out what he’s been talking about,” Gaethje said. “I know when he did that interview not too long ago, he kept saying ‘Justin Gaethje knows what I’m talking about what’s going on, he knows what’s happening.’ I literally had no idea what he was talking about, so it’s pretty crazy.”

As Gaethje went through offers the UFC had made, it’s clear that he was, in fact, offered some fights, some of which he was wiling to take, some of which he asked for under certain conditions, and some of which didn’t pan out.

“I’m pretty sure it was, they offered me I think Tony Ferguson when Tony Ferguson fought Cowboy (Cerrone) in June and they were looking for a replacement in that fight at the end of May,” Gaethje said. “I told them that it wasn’t enough time, but if they pushed it back a little farther I would take that fight then they turned (the offer) down. Then they asked if I want the Tony fight on the (Sept. 7) Abu Dhabi card and I said yes and he said no so I took the Cowboy fight the week after that.”

Gaethje finished Cerrone in the first round of their Sept. 14 bout, which appeared to give him the inside track on a title shot. But then the UFC, according to Gaethje, made fight offers which would not have made any sense in the divisional scheme, during a time period in which neither Nurmagomedov nor McGregor had opponents lined up.

“Just recently, they offered me Charles Oliveira in Brazil or Dan Hooker in New Zealand, all while the champion didn’t have a fight, McGregor was coming back and still looking for a fight. As far as I know, that’s what the deal is.”

As far as Gaethje is concerned, though, he’s not going to take White’s comments personally. Gaethje believes people above White in Endeavor’s executive suite want a Nurmagomedov-McGregor rematch come hell or high water, and that means Gaethje is going to have to wait.

“He has people above him, telling him to put the fight together, this is the fight that’s going to make the most money, I’m sure, just looking from the outside in,” Gaethje said. “So I’m guessing why he’s saying those things. I don’t think he’s actually trying to make me me look bad, I’ve done everything that man could ever want from a fighter or an employee or someone that he pays money to watch. So I don’t think it’s necessarily anything personal against me, I think it’s people above him telling him they have to make that fight no matter what.”

You can hear more from Geathje in the clip below.