Justin Gaethje only interested in a mega fight

The UFC lightweight champion will only return for a massive showdown, says Ali Abdelaziz.

According to his manager Ali Abdelaziz, UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje wants a mega fight the next time he steps into the Octagon.

At the UFC 250 “Freedom” event, he defeated Ilia Topuria and claimed the undisputed UFC lightweight title. He went into the fight as a clear underdog, and afterward, many wondered how he managed to pull it off, while others were already looking ahead to the future.

In the lightweight division, there are many interesting challengers he could face. Given his age and long career, however, retirement doesn’t seem entirely out of the question just yet. Justin Gaethje has taken quite a few hits in his long career and has only now truly crowned himself with the title. So it would be completely understandable if he said he’s retiring at the peak of his career.

However, if he does come back, according to his manager, he’ll only return for a truly big fight.

“(In) 2027 we will see Justin Gaethje fighting, he fought two times this year. He deserves the time off. He’s still the lightweight champion, undisputed, and I think all these guys have to chase him. But he wants to be in a big fight – a big, big fight. What is the big fight? Who decides that? It’s Dana White who decides what’s the biggest fight they can make”

he told MMA Junkie.

However, he also emphasized once again that Justin Gaethje has to decide for himself what he really wants. If he wants to end his career, he would absolutely understand that and wouldn’t stand in Justin Gaethje’s way.

We’ll surely find out soon what the final decision is, since a mega-fight like this is usually announced earlier than others. So for now, it remains exciting to see what the future holds for Justin Gaethje.

Given everything Justin Gaethje has been through in his career, I think he has every right to think carefully about his next move. If he does end up fighting again, it obviously makes sense to seek out bigger fights rather than smaller ones. But I think he’ll definitely fight again.