Conor McGregor vs Justin Gaethje: Manager reveals status of fight after ‘talks’ begin

Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje are not in talks to face one another, according to the American’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. Fan favourite Gaethje has been campaigning for a fight with the former two-division champion for close to a year now but has yet to share the octagon with him.

Gaethje came close to facing the former two-division champion last summer, though a hand injury to the Irishman scuppered plans for a showdown at Madison Square Garden.

Last week, it was reported that both fighters’ respective representatives are locked in talks with the UFC over a potential fight this summer.

ESPN’s Ariel Helwani broke the news, claiming all three parties were currently at the preliminary stage of negotiations and a deal has not yet been agreed.

News of the reported talks soon got to Abdelaziz, who was quick to refute suggestions of a fight between his client and ‘The Notorious’ being in the works.

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This rumour about @Justin_Gaethje fighting vs @TheNotoriousMMA is absolutely false

Justin Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz

Earlier this week, the Dominance MMA CEO tweeted: “This rumour about @Justin_Gaethje fighting vs @TheNotoriousMMA is absolutely false.

“He had the opportunity to fight him already instead of cowboy but he didn’t.

“Justin is the number one contender and like Khabib said. Conor needs to win 10 fights.”

Interestingly, news of McGregor vs Gaethje being in the pipeline came a few days after the latter publicly lambasted the former featherweight and lightweight champion and accused him of ducking him.

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“The man is not going to fight me,” Gaethje said in a video alongside UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. “What the f**k do you gotta do?

“He’s running out of easy fights. I’m sitting here, smoking my CBD, waiting for a motherf**ker to punch me in the face.”

Gaethje’s public criticism of McGregor over the last few months hasn’t gone unnoticed from the UFC’s poster boy, who has added ‘The Highlight’ to his hit-list.

“He’s on the list. He is on the list,” McGregor said of Gaethje in a recent interview with The Mac Life. “Maybe I will face him next. Maybe I’ll face him next, you know? He has it coming to him.

“I mean laugh at how Justin is behaving. He’s a funny guy. He’s been taking it very to heart, you know? And I know the feeling when you do that.

“So maybe I’ll get through Donald and I’ll have a quick turnaround against Justin. So maybe that’s what will happen. But Justin is on the list, no doubt.”

McGregor, 31, was last in action last month at UFC 246 in Las Vegas, where he recorded a 40-second victory over Donald Cerrone to pick up his first win in over three years.

The Dubliner is hoping to have a busy 2020, setting his sights on another two outings this year.

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