Dana White: Justin Gaethje and I need to meet, get on the same page

One of the big questions leading up to UFC 246 was why Conor McGregor wasn’t fighting Justin Gaethje instead of Donald Cerrone.

Gaethje (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), who’s won three fights in a row by first-round knockout, took out Donald Cerrone in his most recent fight last September, after all. But instead, McGregor faced Cerrone in a welterweight bout, making quick work of “Cowboy” with a 40-second TKO.

While many thought it should have been Gaethje in there with McGregor, UFC president Dana White was never too keen on the matchup, saying Gaethje has turned down numerous fights.

Speaking at the UFC 246 post-fight news conference Saturday night, White said it’s time that he and Gaethje had a conversation.

“There’s been all this, ‘What about Justin Gaethje’ stuff. The reality is, me and Justin Gaethje need to sit down and talk face to face and have a meeting,” White said. “So, we’ll probably do that in the next few weeks and sit down with him. I like Gaethje. Gaethje’s a great kid, and he’s a super talented guy, and he and I need to get on the same page.”

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to defend his title vs. Tony Ferguson on April 18 at UFC 249. Should he prevail, White wants to see a rematch between Nurmagomedov and McGregor.

White insists that’s the fight to make and would be the biggest in UFC history. The question is: Where would that leave Gaethje?

UFC 246 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

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