UFC lightweight challenger Justin Gaethje has insisted for a long time that the reigning champ, Charles Oliveira, is a quitter. With Gaethje set to fight Oliveira for the belt this Saturday night at UFC 274, Gaethje told the assembled pre-fight press conference that he hasn’t changed his opinion, despite Oliveira’s notable improvement in recent years.
“I think that’s true, however, once a coward always a coward. I’m not calling him a coward, but I’m saying that’s — you can’t just take that away. It’s there. Khabib never showed you that, and that’s why you can’t compare those two.”
Gaethje Blasts Oliveira: “Once a coward always a coward”
This is Gaethje’s second attempt to capture a UFC title, after being submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in what turned out to be the former champ’s final fight for the UFC. According to Justin Gaethje, there’s simply no comparison between “Do Bronx” and “The Russian Eagle”.
“They’re definitely not the same athlete. And Charles certainly is not more dangerous than Khabib. His ability to take damage is not the same, proven through the times we’ve seen him fight. All my criticism of Charles is from a kid that we were talking about, that we all watched grow, and now we’re talking about a man with confidence. It’s a different person, but ultimately the same Charles is still there.
The same Charles that fought Cub Swanson. The same Charles that fought Donald Cerrone. The same Charles that fought [Anthony] Pettis. Choices were made in that by him and the choice to quit was made, and I’m going to give him that choice on Saturday night, I guarantee that.”
Gaethje also reflected on Oliveira’s tendency to deliver stoppage wins when losing a fight on points.
“That is normal for a fighter. When you choose fight over flight, that’s the only way. Yeah, he has done a great job. I think his opponents really made some mistakes. Chandler, I think Chandler whooped his ass first round, got too overconfident, and that’s why the shot was so effective. He forgot how much danger he was in.
If they’re awake, they’re dangerous. Someone on the brink of dying is the most dangerous, especially when they choose fight. You can never take your foot off the gas and you can never be overconfident in that arena because anything, anytime, that’s why I’m such a fan of this sport. One shot.
I create car crashes, and I am the object with the most force. Same mass. If he wants to play the game, I’m more than happy. He won’t. He will have to.
This will be just like Tony Ferguson. He will try to get this to the ground, and he will be stuck fighting my fight. That’s the name of the game.” Who do you see winning at UFC 274? Let us know in the comments.
