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‘I’m looking for fair competition’ – UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje accuses Conor McGregor of using steroids during injury layoff
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has distanced himself from a lucrative fight with Conor McGregor.
McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in his trilogy bout defeat against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 but is expected to make his eagerly anticipated comeback in the first quarter of 2023.
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Gaethje is looking to return to action about the same time after having a successful nose surgery over the summer following his first-round submission defeat to Charles Oliveira at UFC 274 in May.
Despite their timelines matching up, ‘The Highlight' says he’s not really interested in fighting McGregor who he staggeringly accused of using performance enhancing drugs.
“It sounds to me like he’s off taking steroids right now. He hasn’t been drug tested by USADA in quite some time. I’m looking for fair competition,” Gaethje told .
“If he’s on steroids, then give me steroids and let’s go, I’m down with that.
“My health is my biggest factor. I have never taken a performance-enhancing drug, and I do not want to fight people that are taking performance-enhancing drugs.”
It was recently revealed that McGregor hasn’t been subjected to a single drug test in 2022 by the United States Anti-Doping Agency [USADA] which is tasked with keeping the UFC free of PEDs.
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In contrast, the 34-year-old, who has never failed a drug test, was one of the most tested athletes in 2021 with 11 samples taken over the course of the year and there is no suggestion he has been taking any banned substances since his last fight.
MMA Fighting reached out to McGregor’s management team Paradigm Sports, who declined to comment after Gaethje made the unsubstantiated cheating claims on their platform.
‘Notorious’ has utilised his time away from the octagon by launching an acting career and he’s recently been filming his movie debut alongside Hollywood superstar Jake Gyllenhaal in the Dominican Republic.
The former dual-weight UFC champion has been combining his new acting career with training and recently returned to sparring ahead of what he predicts will be ‘the greatest comeback in sports history.’
But it appears he has no interest in Gaethje anyway considering he is targeting the welterweight division.
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