Justin Gaethje Reveals The Reason He Chose UFC Over Bellator MMA

It was all about the Benjamins when it came to former World Series Of Fighting (WSOF) lightweight champion Justin Gaethje’s free agency decision earlier this year.

Gaethje made a name for himself over at WSOF by finishing all but one of his bouts under the promotion’s banner, and continuing his undefeated mixed martial arts (MMA) record of 17-0. After his contract with the promotion expired late last year, the dominant 155-pounder decided to go out and test the free agency market.

When it came down to it, the UFC and Bellator MMA remained the front runners to land Gaethje’s services, however, it was the UFC who ultimately inked “The Highlight” down to a deal. When asked why he decided to sign with the UFC instead of Bellator, Gaethje stated that money was the ultimate motive and Dana White and company showed up with the fatter check (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“This is America, man. You’ve got to negotiate,” Gaethje said. “As soon as I was a free agent I was a little nervous.”

After inking a deal with the UFC, Gaethje is set to make his promotional debut this Friday (July 7, 2017) at The Ultimate Fighter Season 25 Finale (TUF 25 Finale) in the main event against No. 5-ranked Michael Johnson. Gaethje went on to explain that the opportunity to challenge himself against the best fighters in the world at 155 pounds also factored into his decision – and that’s another opportunity the UFC brought to the table:

“Hindsight, of course, I knew I was going to get a chance to fight Michael Johnson or somebody in the top five, top six,” Gaethje said. “As long as the money matched up, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

Although he opted to forgo a stint with Bellator, Gaethje has nothing but nice things to say about Scott Coker and his promotion:

“I give Bellator respect. They wanted me, and they respectfully came and tried to do it,” he said. “We talked a couple times. I like those guys over there. I have nothing but respect for them.”