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Justin Gaethje accused UFC on ESPN 2, commentators Paul Felder and Karyn Bryant, of trying to steal his thunder after Edson Barboza's knockout.
Felder and Bryant say they were only doing their job. The UFC lightweight and veteran analyst defended Gaethje's interview on the ESPN + post-fight show at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, which hosted the televised event on ESPN.
Felder, who respectfully asked to fight with Gaethje while he was standing beside him at the comment counter, pointed out that his opening was actually an old news. In a post-fight speech following a win over James Vick, he said he would like to take over Barboza or face Gaethje.
"If I did not do it, people would say that I do not have the balls to say it face to face," he wrote on Twitter. "Well I do it and I did it. It's a stud! And I want to fight the best. "
Here is the evidence to support Felder:
In a follow-up interview with MMA Junkie, Felder said that he had solicited the opinion of his ESPN producer about his choice of potential opponent in Gaethje and had received the go-ahead. For him, it was not just a logical question given their respective rankings, but a question of integrity.
"I think what I did was more respectful because I mentioned his name," Felder said. "His name came out of my mouth when he was not there, so when he was there it would not be professional and cowardly for me not to say the same thing to the face that I had already said in front of the camera with the UFC. "
Felder does not blame Gaethje for thinking he was trying to steal the show. But after receiving dozens of hate messages on Twitter, he is tired of criticism that he considers erroneous.
"I understand where Justin comes from," he said. "It's just everyone else who has to close the door. Justin is a fighter. He just hit an opponent – maybe I could say, "Hey, let me have my moment." That's good for him.
"I had to do what I had to do, and he will react as he goes. I have no problem with it being like, "They tried to steal my moment." Maybe we got a little carried away when it went on. But I just wanted to say, "I would like to fight you. That's what will happen now or later. That's the part for which I do not see how it could be a big problem. "
Bryant, who pointed out Felder's immediate proximity to Gaethje in the UFC standings, said his questions about the match were motivated by ESPN.
"My favorite part is that people do not think we have executive producers who run the show and tell us what to talk about / ask, I'm just freestyle what I want in these shows!", Writes Bryant on Twitter.
Bryant was not immediately available for comment when he was contacted by MMA Junkie.
Gaethje's reaction to questions was not the first time he was getting dirty with media questions. In the same interview given after his UFC appearance on ESPN 2 after the fight, he told MMA Junkie, "You do it again" after being questioned about the Felder match.
Earlier in the week, he had been pissed off by the headlines of a pre-fight interview in which he had expressed the desire to resume Dustin Poirier. He also acknowledged that such titles were part of the deal, but he decided to remain more discreet about his intentions.
In his post-fight speech, Gaethje criticized the official rankings of the UFC that had let him overtake by the eternal competitor Donald Cerrone. The introduction of a chart presenting it as No. 8 light weight ahead of number 9, Felder, was not good news.
"Now it's (at # 8) because they keep letting me down after winning," Gaethje said.
Bryant replied, "You tell me that his swirling elbows and your fighting style would not do for …"
"Do you like this guy, do not you?" Pursued Gaethje. "Do not beat him up."
"Come on now," Felder said.
There was laughter all around, and Gaethje continued to discuss his performance. But he also showed that he was not completely opposed to discussing potential battles. He said the showdown with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov would prove he is a champion.
Of course, the name of Nurmagomedov is at the top of the list of light rankings.
For full coverage of the UFC on ESPN 2, see the UFC Events section of the site.
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