Gaethje explained why he refused to replace Oliveira in the fight with Makhachev

“The fact that the tournament was held in Abu Dhabi made my refusal much easier. If it were in America, in a time zone that is familiar to me, when I don’t need long-term adaptation, and if I didn’t have such a sad experience of performing in Abu Dhabi, perhaps I would have thought about this proposal. But in this case I immediately said “no” because I know that I will still fight for the title. If they give Oliveira a title shot, I'll wait. I’m at a point in my career where I don’t have anything to prove.”