Justin Gaethje wants Charles Oliveira to know that he wasn’t being two-faced when he congratulated him for beating Dustin Poirier.
Following lightweight champion Oliveira’s third-round submission of Poirier at UFC 269, Gaethje greeted the champion backstage, showing him nothing but respect for his first title defense.
Gaethje praised Oliveira but said he gets hit a lot and that he can’t wait to break his face.
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Oliveira accused Gaethje of not keeping the same energy when he was face-to-face with him, prompting Gaethje to fire back.
“Oliveira, it’s called respect you fool and we are in the breaking faces business. My respect that night was just as real as my intention to take everything from you in your country.”
Since Oliveira became champion, Gaethje has been rather critical of him.
“The Highlight” has questioned Oliveira’s heart on numerous occasions, and despite showing him respect for his comeback wins over Michael Chandler and Poirier, he’s still confident that he can break him.
But it appears Gaethje may be in jeopardy of losing his title shot to the returning Conor McGregor. Although UFC president Dana White declared Gaethje as the No. 1 contender, Oliveira expressed interest in facing McGregor next, and Gaethje plans on throwing a tantrum if that materializes.
