Justin Gaethje Wants To Be The ‘Most Violent’ Lightweight

Based on what you see from ex-World Series Of Fighting (WSOF) lightweight champ Justin Gaethje inside the mixed martial arts (MMA) cage, you wouldn’t expect him to be a guy concerned about taking fights on short-notice – think again.

Gaethje is preparing to fight former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC 218 on December 2nd at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. During a recent media scrum, Gaethje was asked about the possibility of taking a UFC lightweight title match on short-notice. Gaethje would like to think that he could say no to the opportunity, as he is not a big fan of taking fights on short-notice (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“The effort I put in, I expect myself to have eight to 12 weeks of preparation, and that’s the way I do things,” said Gaethje. “So I hope to never make the mistake – I just want to put it on the record for myself, to look back on – that I hope I never make the mistake of taking a last-second fight. Because inside, I would want to. But it shouldn’t happen.”

As for his fight against Alvarez, Gaethje said he’s looking to go into the Octagon at UFC 218 and finish “The Underground King” as quick as possible in attempt to earn a shot at the 155-pound crown:

“I’m going to go in there and finish Eddie absolutely as fast as possible,” he said. “I deserve a shot at the championship if I keep beating these guys. So I hope I earn that. I will earn it. I think Conor’s going to make somebody earn it. These boys tonight, I hope they put on a show for us. But I have a feeling one of them just wants to win.

“I don’t want to win. I want to put on a show. I want to be the most violent lightweight in the world. And if I have to go through one of these guys after I beat Eddie, I will. But I’m going to be running for sheriff around here.”