It’s been a whirlwind week for Justin Gaethje.
The week started with the former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion getting a crack at Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight belt at UFC 249 after Khabib Nurmagomedov withdrew due to travel restrictions in Russia.
Before the week was over, though, the company’s attempt to run UFC 249 on California tribal land impervious to stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic led to the state leaning on Disney, the parent company of UFC broadcast partner ESPN, to cancel the event.
And while the debate has certainly raged about the controversial event, there’s no denying Gaethje is a warrior who will fight anyone, anywhere, and that a fight, which on paper could have been a “Fight of the Year” candidate, would no longer be.
It would be easy for Gaethje to be bitter about this turn of events, but on Friday, he issued a classy statement in a post on Instagram, expressing gratitude for the opportunity and vowing he’ll stay in shape in order to tackle the next challenge.
I really felt a surge of energy and support as this fight was building up from so many ppl across the world, it was very humbling. I am thankful to represent Safford, AZ and my great friends and family. I’m going to be working hard to be ready next time the opportunity arises. Let’s get through this fight we are all facing right now by having a positive impact on our immediate surroundings (family, neighbor, community) Thank you!! The boss @danawhite is someone I am proud to do business with. #ufc249.
You can see Gaethje’s full post below:
Justin Gaethje takes high road after UFC 249 falls out: 'Let’s get through this fight' together