Justin Gaethje says his unwillingness to put on an act for notoriety may hurt him in the long haul.
Gaethje has been at odds with the UFC as of late. UFC president Dana White has claimed that “The Highlight” turned down fights, while Gaethje insists he doesn’t know how White came to that conclusion. The UFC boss said he wants to have a sitdown with Gaethje to clear the air.
Justin Gaethje Wants To Stay True To Himself
Gaethje has been calling for big fights, be it a lightweight title shot or a showdown with Conor McGregor. The fourth-ranked 155-pounder appeared on the Punchlines Podcast and said he isn’t going to create a shtick to get the bouts he wants (h/t MMAJunkie.com).
“For me, I hope knocking people out is my ‘something special,’ because I can’t sell myself, per se, and become a different person on camera and be a different person off camera,” Gaethje said. “It takes a lot of intelligence to be able to do something like that, for one. To be able to keep that act up is going to take a lot of time and energy and a lot of concentration away from what I want to do.
“I think it could hurt me in the long run, just not wanting to take that route. I could have been (at UFC 246). I could have been front row. I could have made a scene, but maybe I’ll miss an opportunity because I wasn’t there.”