Justin Gaethje believes his stunning victory over Ilia Topuria has effectively allowed him to settle the score with two former opponents — Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.
The newly crowned UFC lightweight champion suffered defeats to both Holloway and Oliveira earlier in his career. Holloway knocked him out at UFC 300, while Oliveira submitted him at UFC 274.
However, Topuria later defeated both fighters in title bouts, stopping Holloway and Oliveira before Gaethje went on to defeat Topuria at the UFC White House event and claim undisputed lightweight gold.
Gaethje now jokingly considers those victories over Topuria as his own form of revenge.
“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.”
With the lightweight division still sorting out its next title challenger, Gaethje acknowledged that several upcoming fights could determine who gets the opportunity.
“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,” he 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.”
A potential showdown with Conor McGregor, however, appears unlikely in the immediate future.
McGregor is expected to remain sidelined until 2027 after suffering a serious knee injury at UFC 329 in Las Vegas earlier this year. With Gaethje’s lightweight title now at stake, UFC matchmakers are unlikely to keep the division waiting that long.
For now, Gaethje will have to watch the lightweight contenders battle it out while he waits to discover who will be next in line for his championship.
