UFC star Justin Gaethje has sent off an obnoxious attack on Conor McGregor, asserting the Irishman is “frightened to battle him” and has “lost his certainty” and made “chicken s***” choices”.

Gaethje, who challenges Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title on Saturday night, told Sky Sports’ Ed Draper that he couldn’t imagine anything better than to make McGregor “vanish from the game”.

However, the American accepts his kindred 33-year-old will dodge a likely conflict with him and on second thought look towards welterweight champion Kamaru Usman when he gets back from injury.

McGregor broke his leg during his set of three battle with Dustin Poirier last year, losing by means of TKO in the first round subsequent to being not able to proceed.

Gaethje said of a session with McGregor: “The payday wouldn’t be first spot on my list, the capacity to make that man vanish from this game would be first spot on my list. I would be exceptionally sure.

“I believe he’s a b***h. I believe he’s frightened to battle me and his mentor is sufficiently shrewd to not allow that to occur.

“These folks have had their eye on me perpetually and they are too chicken s*** to pull the trigger. He won’t battle me, he’ll battle Kamaru [Usman] before he battles me.

“After I battled Donald Cerrone and took him out, he [McGregor] picked Cerrone to battle.

“Do you believe that was a chicken-s*** decision or do you suppose it was your decision when you need to be the most incredible on the planet? No one got down on [McGregor].

“Assuming you lose to me there is just a single method for losing to me and that is by never returning.

“Particularly with that man, I would take each piece of his certainty, push it in the waste disposal and crush it for him. That is who I am and the way in which I play.

“Assuming he takes me out, he is right back on the pony.

“Undoubtedly he will not and in all likelihood he gets hammered and needs to show the world the b***h that he is, that he generally has been.

“He doesn’t have the certainty any longer. He doesn’t have the drive to bring in cash as he has all the cash.

“What’s his ‘why?’ His ‘why’ is to be the cool fellow and that doesn’t take you far in this game.”