UFC Lightweight Justin Gaethje (19-2) is set to take on Edson Barboza (20-6) in the main event of Saturday's UFC on ESPN 2 card taking place at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. But it wasn't Barboza that Gaethje was taking shots at during a recent interview with TMZ Sports.
Instead, the 30-year old fighter called out Nate Diaz.
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Gaethje, the eighth ranked Lightweight, seemed particularly amused at how "people think [Diaz] is still a gangster," despite the fact that he "talks all this shit" and hasn't fought in years. He tells TMZ Sports:
"The only thing that's been bothering me, Nate Diaz keeps talking so much shit but the dude won't fight," Gaethje tells us ... "It just amazes me how people think he's still a gangster."
"Gangsters fight, gangsters don't run their mouth."
"You can't talk and not show up. That's just funny to me."
When asked if he'd be interested in a fight against Diaz, Gaethje responded, "He ain't fighting nobody. That dude ain't fighting nobody. He's all talk. He wants to keep this perception that he's a tough guy through his words. He don't wanna fight no more."
Gaethje's comments are likely in response to a recent IG post by Diaz, in which he called out undefeated Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, as well as Conog McGregor and Poirier.
Diaz, who hasn't fought since losing to McGregor in an epic five-round bout in 2016, has been rumored for a return to the octagon on numerous occasions, but nothing ever came to fruition. He was linked to a fight against Poirier at UFC 230 back in November, though it all fell apart before anything became official.
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