Gaethje says he'd KO McGregor: 3 rounds, 'then it's hell'

UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje believes he'd finish Conor McGregor if they fought inside the Octagon.

"Distance control is the No. 1 factor in any fight," Gaethje said during an appearance on ESPN's "Now or Never" on Monday. "It's established in the first 30 seconds. It's not visible, but it's established, and that would be a huge factor in our fight - who can control the distance. I think the best thing about me is I can kick the shit out of people. So when they are trying to control distance, or maybe they are winning at that, I can just kick them in the leg and try and reset that.

"I think I would knock (McGregor) out, to be honest with you," he continued. "I think he's got about three rounds, and then it's hell. And he doesn't want to go to hell, so I think he's good for now."

Gaethje is expected to face Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title unification bout later this year after capturing the interim belt with a fifth-round TKO of Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in May.

McGregor wanted to fight Gaethje this summer, but the 31-year-old brushed that off and said he's currently focused on Nurmagomedov. "The Highlight" said Monday that he thinks the former two-division champion, who recently announced his retirement for the third time, should wait to face the winner of Gaethje versus Nurmagomedov.

Gaethje previously said that McGregor is definitely someone he'd like to fight before retiring.