Justin Gaethje says he would entertain Conor McGregor, but doubts the fight materializes

Justin Gaethje is still open to the idea of fighting Conor McGregor, but he is not convinced the matchup will ever happen. In comments reported by Yahoo Sports, Gaethje reiterated that he would entertain the fight, despite years of back-and-forth that never produced a bout.

The context matters because Gaethje and McGregor have been linked by promotion chatter and public sparring for a long time, even while their careers were moving in different phases. Gaethje is described by Yahoo Sports as a longtime challenger who has stayed publicly interested in the idea of a fight with McGregor, yet the two sides never aligned in the ring.

Numbers help explain why the question has persisted. According to Yahoo Sports, Gaethje enters the conversation as the UFC lightweight champion, with a record of 28-5 MMA and 11-5 in UFC competition. McGregor is listed there as having a record of 22-6 MMA and 10-4 in UFC, a profile that keeps interest high whenever a timeline for McGregor’s return comes into view.

That return did arrive, and it changed the immediate landscape. Yahoo Sports reports that McGregor came back from a lengthy absence and competed in a welterweight bout against Max Holloway at UFC 329 in July. With that decision, Gaethje’s “would entertain it” position becomes more complicated, because McGregor’s return walkback did not naturally lead to an immediate lightweight champion-versus-legacy matchup.

Gaethje’s outlook, as characterized by Yahoo Sports, also reflects a broader reality in UFC matchmaking. A fight between two major names requires more than mutual interest, it depends on timing, weight class planning, and what each fighter’s next path looks like after a comeback or title cycle.

For fans, the biggest takeaway is that the matchup remains a rhetorical possibility, not an imminent booking. Even if Gaethje is willing to entertain the idea, McGregor’s welterweight return at UFC 329 suggests any future cross-division conversation would have to clear the usual practical hurdles, especially around division alignment and how the promotion wants to structure marquee fights after a comeback.

What to watch next is whether either fighter publicly ties their next move to this conversation, or whether the UFC points both men toward separate lanes. If McGregor continues to operate at welterweight while Gaethje stays at lightweight, the odds of the classic “they finally fight” moment rise and fall with UFC’s willingness to bend timing and weight-class logic.