Between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, the respect is real

As cliche as it might sound, there’s truly nothing but respect between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje heading into UFC 249.

The two lightweight contenders will fight for the interim title Saturday night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.. Unlike many buildups for big-time UFC fights, both men have stirred away from talking trash about each other.

In fact, Ferguson (25-3 MMA, 15-1 UFC) and Gaethje (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) have done quite the opposite and been complimentary towards each other in the buildup to their much anticipated contest. Given the history of both fighters, trash talk isn’t needed to promote the fight, as their styles and world-class skills promise a “Fight of the Year” candidate.

Below are some of the nice and respectful things Ferguson and Gatheje have had to say about each other leading up to UFC 249.

****

Tony Ferguson

• “It’s scheduled for five rounds, but like I said, before he pisses me off, I’ll take him to deep waters. Dude is an awesome guy. I have no guff against him. They call him the human highlight for a reason. We’re going to go out there and have ‘Fight of the Night.’ I have no doubt Dana (White) was right.”
• “That’s why we’re main-eventing and nothing else. This is where we belong, and we’re the best of the best. We’re top five, and we’re going to go in there and do what we f*cking do, and that’s throw elbows.”
• “I’m going to be real: Khabib (Nurmagomedov) doesn’t even exist to me right now. That dude is off the face of the earth right now with McNuggets (Conor McGregor). Those dudes are a bunch of b*tches. The only two dudes that signed on the dotted line are real f*cking men. I called uncle Dana, and told him I was really proud of him for making sure that this thing f*cking goes.”

Justin Gaethje

• “I’m a huge fan of MMA and, first and foremost, humans recognize effort, and I recognize he gives max effort. The tenacity that he brings to the cage, I’m looking forward to the storm. For one, we get to put pay checks in our own pockets, but we also get to put a pay check in every single UFC employee’s pocket who’s going to work this event, and we get to inspire people not to give up right now. For me, before I was fighting him and after, he’s the epitome of a UFC athlete. He loves carnage, he loves violence, and this is a recipe for disaster. I think we’re both happy to be on the card.”
• “Everyone is going to be tuning in. They know what we both bring. It’s f*ckin huge for the sport, huge for me, huge for Tony, and huge for the employees. It’s going to be fire works.”
• “After my (James) Vick win, I said I wanted to fight Tony because we’re both very special people when it comes to being able to be comfortable when adrenaline is running through your veins. And it’s not something that’s natural; it’s something that has been learned and worked on. That feeling when it’s going through my veins, it’s the best feeling on earth. I’m telling you right now: The feeling of being in a life-or-death situation and being there and actually be comfortable with it, there’s nothing like that. I know he’s the same way, and I know one of us is probably going to get two bonuses. We’re both getting one bonus (for “Fight of the Night”), and I fight for money. At the time when I said that, I was shooting to be the most exciting fighter in the world, and Tony is the best opponent to bring that out of me.”