According to Ali Abdelaziz, Justin Gaethje could have fought Conor McGregor multiple times over the past few years, but the fight never materialized. Speaking on Submission Radio, Abdelaziz claims McGregor was offered the bout at least five times but refused, likely because of his fear of losing to Gaethje. Abdelaziz believes that McGregor only picks fights when he controls the narrative on social media.
“We offered Gaethje so many times,” Abdelaziz said. “Conor never accepted. Even the UFC told me, ‘Don’t talk bad about him online. He only likes to fight people who don’t talk back.’ Conor needs to start the trash talk and have fighters respond. It’s how he operates.”
The tension between McGregor and Abdelaziz’s fighters, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, has been brewing for years. Their feud hit a high point when McGregor fought Khabib at UFC 229. After Khabib won by submission in the fourth round, a post-fight brawl broke out, further souring relations between McGregor and Abdelaziz’s camp.
Abdelaziz believes that loss permanently changed McGregor. “When Conor lost to Khabib, he lost his soul,” Abdelaziz said. “Khabib took everything from him—his manhood, his confidence. Conor hasn’t been the same since.”
Gaethje recently echoed these sentiments in an interview with TMZ, saying McGregor has dodged the fight to protect his brand. According to Gaethje, McGregor couldn’t risk a defeat, as losing to him would damage McGregor’s image beyond repair.
Abdelaziz remains firm in his belief that McGregor will continue to avoid fighters like Gaethje, preferring opponents who are less of a threat both in the cage and online.
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