Justin Gaethje isn’t sure when he’ll defend his title next, or against whom, but he knows it would be a lot of fun to throw down with Conor McGregor.
Following an incredible upset victory over the previously undefeated Ilia Topuria at UFC White House to become lightweight champion, Gaethje is calling the shots, and he’s taking his time figuring out his next move. Speaking to Paramount+, Gaethje was asked if he’d be interested in running it back with any of his old rivals, but ruled out avenging his past two losses to Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira despite both stars being in the title picture.
Instead, he tossed out the possibility of silencing McGregor, who had a disappointing return to the octagon this past July when he suffered a major knee injury just 19 seconds into his comeback fight against Holloway at UFC 329. Gaethje used some MMA math to explain why he doesn’t feel the need to even the score past foes.
“Damn, there’s really no one,” Gaethje said. “It would have been Oliveira or Holloway, but since Topuria beat them, I’m going to go ahead and justify it to myself like I got them back.
“So I guess McGregor. Fun to shut him up.”
Prior to defeating Topuria, Gaethje had won the interim lightweight title twice and the “BMF” belt, but fell short in two previous attempts to become an undisputed UFC champion. The third time proved to be the charm and now Gaethje finds himself in unfamiliar territory as the hunted, not the hunter.
“It’s such a weird place to be in,” Gaethje said. “There’s always been a champion, I’ve always had somebody to chase. Now, being the champion, it’s like I just have to retain and hold onto what I have. I’m not looking at specific opponents, I know the best in the world are gunning for me. So that is the name of the game. I know that it’s going to be one of the best guys in the world.
“Arman [Tsarukyan] was fighting Oliveira, now he’s fighting someone else, so there’s a couple of big fights that are going to determine who I’ll fight next.”
Tsarukyan fights Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 with a title shot potentially on the line. The Armenian standout has said he plans to claim the title and break Islam Makhachev’s UFC record of four consecutive lightweight championship defenses.
Gaethje’s next title defense won’t be until 2027 due to him still recovering from hand injuries suffered in the Topuria fight, so the landscape could shift considerably in his absence. When he comes back, he’s not making any assurances about whether it will mark his final fight or not.
“So I have put all that on paper, and I still need to continue to fill out the pros and cons, but ultimately I am in the fight until I’m not in the fight,” Gaethje said. “Inside me, I feel like a fight is just as potential as it has always been, but I really rely on my team and my family to make these choices.
“When I retire? I have no idea. How many I have left? I have no idea. It’s been one at a time since Day 1. I’m going to continue to take it like that and trust in my team to have a conversation with me when they need to.”
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