‘There’s nothing that makes me happier’: UFC star Justin Gaethje ‘loved’ seeing Conor McGregor toppled by Dustin Poirier

While his legions of fans were shocked to see Conor McGregor lose by KO for the first time in his career against Dustin Poirier last weekend, one man who was more than satisfied in what he saw was fellow contender Justin Gaethje.

Gaethje, who came up short in his world title opportunity against Khabib Nurmagomedov last October, may be a few fights away from another shot at UFC gold but the American slugger couldn't restrain his excitement following last weekend's UFC 257 headliner which saw Conor McGregor join Gaethje a few rungs down the promotion's lightweight ladder.

The two fighters have long held animosity towards one another, much of which could be seen as being stoked by Gaethje's managerial relationship with Ali Abdelaziz - the Dominance MMA manager who who oversees the careers of both Gaethje and Nurmagomedov, and who is a frequent and vocal critic of the Irish UFC superstar.

After seeing McGregor topple in the second round due to a combination of wily calf kicks and concussive strikes, Gaethje said that McGregor's time in the spotlight is over - for now, at least.

"For him to come out and say he wants a title shot next in a rematch with Poirier, or his coach, they are f*cking idiots," Gaethje told ESPN. 

"He has been treated special over and over and over and he didn’t capitalize on this opportunity. That event was for him, that event was for him to win.

"He wants to be Mr. Humble now but you know he would be an as*hole if he won that fight."

Gaethje, who also has a defeat on his record due to a Poirier knockout, said that he was happy for the Louisiana native who earned his revenge for the first-round finish he suffered at the hands of McGregor six years ago - and he says that the brash Irishman got what he deserved.

"I don’t feel bad for him. I’m happy for Poirier, I’m happy Poirier went out there, did his job and finished him," Gaethje said.

"I love seeing a loudmouth get knocked out, there is nothing that makes me happier. Seeing a piece of sh*t get put down, that was great. I loved it."

McGregor iterated to the media in advance of the Poirier fight that he had campaigned to fight Gaethje at the beginning of last summer, but the idea was shot down by the UFC's brass.

With both men now returning from defeats, it stands to reason that the UFC may well investigate matching the two 155lbs rivals up in what would be a pivotal fight for both.

It would be a curious test for McGregor, too; Gaethje is considered to be among the finest leg-kickers in the sport - a technique now seen by some as being the Dubliner's kryptonite after Poirier's success, first robbing McGregor of his fleet-footedness before brutally dropping him with the strikes that would ultimately conclude the contest.