Justin Gaethje confirms free-agent status

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Wild

Wild

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World Series of Fighting could soon be on the verge of losing its lightweight champion.

Justin Gaethje (17-0), considered one of the best and most exciting young fighters in MMA, confirmed on Tuesday that he's officially a free agent.

"WSOF gave me (the) option to field offers, (though they) hold matching rights," he said.

MMA Fighting reported in November that Gaethje was planning on testing the free-agent market in early 2017, and on Monday, FOXSports.com reported he was now officially free to field offers. Gaethje told MMA Figthing that he was given clearance to do so on Friday.

WSOF champ Gaethje confirms free-agent status
 
ECC170

ECC170

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If the ufc doesn't get him they are plain dumb..Gaethje vs Ferguson or Diaz would be SICK!
 
Pitbull9

Pitbull9

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If Bellator wants to gain any type of real legitimacy they need to grab guys like Justin.
 
Wild

Wild

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TheEmperorRises said:
Probably, but I'm pretty sure he's hell bent on going to the UFC.
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I obviously can't speak for him, but he does train with Rose & Pat, and I have seen social media posts of him at events...speaking highly of the UFC. So who knows. Hopefully he chooses the best deal, and that deal is from Bellator.
 
ECC170

ECC170

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Chandler vs Gaethje moves my needle!
 
regular john

regular john

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May 21, 2015
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lol WSOF if folding for sure...

and I hope he goes to Bellator. I don't know shit about big business but I guess he'd be more valuable to Bellator than UFC. he could be the face of Bellator fighting exciting fights on national TV always around the title picture. anyway I'm happy for him, that man is about to get rich and there might be no one in mma who deserves it more than him.
 
Ghost Bro

Ghost Bro

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Hope the best for this dude. Can't wait to watch him fight again
 
DoTheKick

DoTheKick

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He was getting 100k a fight at WSOF right? No chance ufc will match that, Khabib only made 47 k his last fight.
 
Chromium

Chromium

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DoTheKick said:
He was getting 100k a fight at WSOF right? No chance ufc will match that, Khabib only made 47 k his last fight.
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WSoF won't match what they previously paid him either though. WSoF is in a death spiral right now, and unlike the UFC, they need to cut costs hard to survive.

Anyway, a year ago I would have said Gaethje's best bet for a good future was the UFC, but WME-UFC is so clueless it's hard to wrap my head around it (seriously I still can't figure out the logic behind booking Cynthia Calvillo in main card PPV matches six weeks apart while someone like Tecia Torres has been begging for a fight).

Bellator doesn't have room to go after every notable free agent, but Gaethje's the sort of dude who they should prioritize.
 
Carbazel

Carbazel

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Aug 8, 2015
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I think if they let folks go its space to grow new champs and fighters for the sport. Why not be known as a jump off point? Ring of Combat (ROC) in Jersey has been doing it for years.
 
Clappin'Daddys

Clappin'Daddys

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DoTheKick said:
He was getting 100k a fight at WSOF right? No chance ufc will match that, Khabib only made 47 k his last fight.
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Agreed,

I'm sure wsof will go after him too. Bellator, UFC, wsof will all throw their hats in the ring. It depends on what Justin wants at this point. I see him signing with either the UFC or Bellator. So Does he want to go to bellator and get fast tracked to the top of the division? Does he want to go to the UFC and face much deeper competition starting from the bottom? One thing is for sure though, no way Justin is getting 100/100 from any of these orgs.

Wsof could have seen this as a way to cut costs and bring Justin's purse down(if they somehow keep him). Let Justin test free agency to bring his asking price down. I highly doubt Justin is worth 100 to show, double to win to bellator or the UFC. I don't see him making that kind of money any time soon.
 
Andrewsimar Palhardass

Andrewsimar Palhardass

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I agree with many on here that he would be a great pickup for Bellator, but I would be surprised if the UFC didn't get him.
 
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