Justin Gaethje Calls Conor McGregor a 'Piece of S--t,' Loved Seeing Him KO'd

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje said Wednesday he "loved" seeing Conor McGregor get knocked out by Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 257 on Saturday.

Gaethje told ESPN's Brett Okamoto (via TMZ Sports) there's nothing he enjoys more than watching a "loudmouth get knocked out."

"There is nothing that makes me happier," he said. "Seeing a piece of s--t get put down? That was great. I loved it."

Gaethje, who's coming off an October loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title fight, added it's time to stop special treatment for McGregor just because he's one of MMA's biggest draws.

"[Conor has] been treated special over and over and over and he didn't capitalize on this opportunity," he said. "That event was for him, that event was for him to win, and he wants to be Mr. Humble now? But, you know he would be an assh--e if he won that fight."

The 32-year-old Arizona native went as far as saying he'd consider leaving UFC if McGregor was given a championship opportunity after the loss to Poirier.

"That would be preposterous," Gaethje told Okamoto. "For one, he's sitting at No. 6. He's won one fight in his entire life in the lightweight division, and he picks and chooses who he fights. So I have no respect for him in that manner."

For his part, McGregor said he planned to "regroup" and was interested in a trilogy fight against either Poirier or Nate Diaz after going 1-1 in the first two fights against both opponents.

His loss Saturday marked just his third trip into the Octagon since winning the UFC lightweight title in November 2016. He lost to Nurmagomedov in October 2018 and beat Donald Cerrone in January 2020.

It's difficult to remain in peak form when you're fighting less than once per year, but the 32-year-old Irishman stated throughout the buildup to the Poirier fight he was planning a busier schedule moving forward.

For now, McGregor's loss and Nurmagomedov's indecision about whether to end his short-lived retirement to defend the lightweight belt has left the 155-pound division in a state of uncertainty.