Conor McGregor calls out Justin Gaethje after crazy KO
Lighting has struck twice in Salt Lake City. One year after Leon Edwards landed a head kick to pull off a massive upset to win the UFC welterweight championship, Justin Gaethje has pulled off a similar kind of knockout.
Gaethje landed a head kick out of nowhere in the second round of his UFC 291 main event with Dustin Poirier to score the knockout and become the UFC's second BMF champion.
The opening round was a very back-and-forth kind of affair, with Poirier dealing damage, but Gaethje having more activity and landing cleaner.
But just a minute into the second round, Gaethje landed a head kick that dropped Poirier out cold.
Following the fight, Conor McGregor seemed to make a social media callout of Gaethje, commenting on his win.
Justin, I’ll slap you around
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 30, 2023
I’m the real bmf, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots, I’m in it to launch shots, fuck chandler, you want it call for it.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 30, 2023
A fight between the two seemed teased in previous years with callouts of one another but nothing ever came of it.
McGregor and Michael Chandler are supposedly going to fight in December at UFC 296, following their current coaching stints on The Ultimate Fighter, but the fight is not official yet.
Other UFC fighters react to shocking KO of Dustin Poirier by Justin Gaethje at UFC 291
Wooow
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) July 30, 2023
— Proper. Mike Malott (@Michael_Malott) July 30, 2023
The Salt Lake Head Kick Tradition continues wow #UFC291
— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) July 30, 2023
Gaethje with the money maker, Rocky style in salt lake city madness #UFC291
— Arnold billy allen (@Arnoldbfa) July 30, 2023
That’s the second time a head kick has won someone a belt in this city 🔥🔥🔥 that kick was crazy
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) July 30, 2023
Daaaaaaamn! Did not expect a head kick KO from Gaethje. Wow. #ufc291
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) July 30, 2023
Why usman catch a random stray
— Sodiq Yusuff (@Super_Sodiq) July 30, 2023
WOW! Congrats to the BMF @Justin_Gaethje #ufc291
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) July 30, 2023
This was a rematch of their original meeting from UFC Glendale in April 2018. Poirier scored the win via fourth-round TKO.
Poirier has won eight of his last 10 fights — a stretch that includes his win over Gaethje and interim lightweight title win against Max Holloway, as well as his two victories over Conor McGregor. Poirier's only two losses in this span were his title fights with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Poirier comes into this bout off a submission of Michael Chandler at UFC 281 in November.
Gaethje is 6-2 since the loss to Poirier, a run that includes defeating Tony Ferguson for his own run as interim UFC lightweight champion. His only losses in this span also came in title fights with Nurmagomedov and Oliveira. Gaethje's most recent fight was a split-decision victory over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 in March.
How much do MMA fighters make?. dark. Next