Conor McGregor: Justin Gaethje OK, but 'when he's bad, he's atrocious'
· Yahoo Sports
Conor McGregor doesn't rate UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje very highly.
Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) scored a stunning upset of formerly unbeaten Ilia Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) to claim the 155-pound title at UFC Freedom 250.
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McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who returns to rematch Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 on July 11 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+), pointed to Gaethje's knockout loss to Holloway at UFC 300 to describe his inconsistency as a fighter.
"For sure (I can make a run at the title)," McGregor told UFC on Paramount+. "I'm a 170-pound fighter now. I've already held the 155-pound unified UFC world title. I'm open for business. I wish for activity. I've got a great fight in front of me.
"Max has flatlined Justin. He knocked him out face down, out cold. Justin's OK. When he's on, Justin's OK. When he's bad, he's atrocious. He's woeful. He slaps his punches a lot. But he's very, very durable, and he's unorthodox in his style."
While McGregor has a hit list in mind, he's more concerned with being active after five years away.
"There's a few names for sure," McGregor said. "I have just more so activity. I wish to just compete. I want the smoke. I want all the smoke. For sure, bring it all on. I don't rate them. Not on my level, and rather than saying it and getting into more detail on it, I would rather just show it. That I will do."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Conor McGregor: Justin Gaethje OK, but 'when he's bad, he's atrocious'