Most regular fighters head into their respective matchups hoping to get the win and come away from their fights unscathed. But Justin Gaethje isn’t a regular MMA fighter.
Gaethje will take on Tony Ferguson for the vacant UFC interim lightweight title in the main event of UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday night, and revealed his ideal scenario would include having to go under the knife following a victory.
Speaking on the UFC 249 media conference call, Gaethje said that he actually wants to get his nose broken by Ferguson so he can finally get the surgery needed to fix it.
“I need my nose broken,” he explained. I haven’t been able to breathe through my nose for like 12 years since wrestling. So hopefully one of those elbows cracks my nose – the UFC has to pay for that (expletive) – and it’s an exciting fight.”
Gaethje’s cheery approach to the violence that is likely to take place on May 9 sums up his overall approach to the fight game. Despite being a high-caliber wrestler, Gaethje prefers to stand and trade, using his thumping leg kicks and heavy-handed punches to break down his opponents. It’s a fighting style that perfectly suits his moniker, “The Highlight.”
But in Ferguson, Gaethje faces a fighter who embraces the chaos of octagon warfare as much as he does, and the former World Series of Fighting champion said he’s looking forward to sharing the cage with a man with a similar fighting philosophy to his own.
“I’ve been a fan of Tony for a long time,” he admitted. “He loves when people call him crazy, it turns him on. But he’s a certain kind of crazy that you have to step in the octagon and be comfortable. I believe I’m just as crazy as him in that regard.”
Gaethje said fans hoping he brings the same fire he has delivered in his previous outings will not be disappointed, as he promised not to deviate from the fan-friendly approach that has seen him earn the reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC.
Speaking on the UFC’s Countdown show ahead of UFC 249, he explained, “I’m going to fight until I’m finished or until Tony’s finished. That’s what I do and that’s what I’ve always done. I possess the power to turn his lights off and I believe I will. Tony Ferguson is a great competitor – 12 wins in a row – but I knock him out cold.”
