Justin Gaethje still recovering from UFC White House, won’t return until 2027: ‘I still can’t punch anything’

Justin Gaethje is still undecided on what comes next for him but no matter what happens, he won’t be competing again in 2026.

The reigning undisputed UFC lightweight champion went to war twice already this year with a back-and-forth battle against Paddy Pimblett in January and then pulling off a massive upset by stopping Ilia Topuria in the UFC White House main event in June. Both fights ended in victory for Gaethje but he obviously didn’t walk away unscathed so it’s understandable that he’s taking the necessary time to recover before potentially booking another fight.

“I still can’t punch anything,” Gaethje said when speaking to Sports Illustr