“Gotta give credit when it’s due” – Despite bitter rivalry, Justin Gaethje stands corrected after snubbing Conor McGregor from KO club

Justin Gaethje swallows his pride and puts Conor McGregor alongside himself and Derrick Lewis for the most KO/TKO's

“Gotta give credit when it’s due” – Despite bitter rivalry, Justin Gaethje stands corrected after snubbing Conor McGregor from KO club

Justin Gaethje adds Conor McGregor and Derrick Lewis to the KO club (via Imago)

Justin Gaethje is the proud owner of a 25-4 record in his professional career. Twenty of these victories have come by way of KO or TKO. He recently found himself having to walk back a boastful claim about his knockout prowess. This came after realizing he had failed to acknowledge rival Conor McGregor’s similar finishing skills.

It began when Justin Gaethje responded to a UFC Spanish video showcasing some of his octagon knockouts. Gaethje declared that only UFC heavyweight KO machine Derrick Lewis could challenge his status as the promotion’s top finisher. Derrick Lewis has a record of 27-12 with a staggering 81% finish rate amounting to 22 KO/TKO’s. This is what Gaethje has said:

Only @Thebeast_ufc can match me in KO’s.
Justin Gaethje via X
YouTube video

However, MMA fans quickly noticed the glaring omission of McGregor – owner of a 22-6 record with 19 KOs himself – from Gaethje’s shoutout. Noticing his blunder, a humble Gaethje had to check back in with a correction. This is what he said:

FS Video
Correction @Thebeast_ufc & @TheNotoriousMMA. Gotta give credit when it’s due.
Justin Gaethje via X

The rare moment of humility from the star surprised fans used to his constant trash talk toward “Notorious.” Gaethje even gave his rival credit for being a great knockout artist. In any case, Gaethje had to return to publicly acknowledge that he excluded McGregor from the company of KO kings like Lewis. Even the most hardened fighters seem to have occasional foot-in-mouth moments being forced to give rivals credit.

Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor’s continuing rivalry

The rivalry between lightweight contenders Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje and “The Notorious” Conor McGregor is one for the ages. These two continue to trade verbal barbs outside the octagon whenever the opportunity arises.

Justin Gaethje wants to end Conor McGregor's career
Justin Gaethje wants to end Conor McGregor’s career (Image Courtesy- Imago)

The latest of their X arguments came after Gaethje’s recent win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. When asked about McGregor, Gaethje quipped that Conor has turned down a fight with him six times. He added that he didn’t want to fight someone that is cheating. McGregor clapped back on Twitter, vowing to snipe Gaethje away with one shot. On the other hand, Gaethje wanted to kill off McGregor’s career.

McGregor has shown his interest in fighting Gaethje. However, Gaethje seems less interested as he keeps his gaze fixed on the UFC lightweight belt.  This on-again, off-again feud has kept fight fans in anticipation. They want the UFC to book the fight between the two best lightweight KO artists.

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