Former interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje claims fellow former interim gold holder, Dustin Poirier turned down an offer to coach on The Ultimate Fighter 31 against him earlier this year, as he now sets sights on a title outing against current undisputed champion, Islam Makhachev.
Gaethje, the current #3 ranked lightweight contender, most recently featured at UFC 286 back in March in London, landing a majority decision victory over Rafael Fiziev in London to retain his rank in the top-3 of the division.
Justin Gaethje initially weighed up a potential rematch with Dustin Poirier
In the immediate aftermath of his victory against Fiziev, Gaethje noted his interest in a potential title-eliminator rematch against Poirier this summer, however, the Arizona native claims the Lafayette native turned down the opportunity to serve as an opposing coach against him on TUF 31.