Adesanya backs McGregor vs. Gaethje after new champion's stunning title upset

Israel Adesanya has thrown his weight behind a potential Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje superfight, declaring it would be one of the most lucrative bouts in MMA history — days after Gaethje dethroned the previously undefeated Ilia Topuria to claim the undisputed UFC lightweight championship at the UFC White House event.

“It would feed families, it would feed f*cking countries, that would be crazy,” Adesanya said on the MightyCast. “It would feed everybody, World Vision.”

Gaethje’s stunning victory over Topuria has immediately elevated his stock and opened the door to a series of high-profile matchups. McGregor is set to return at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, where he faces Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at 170 pounds — his first fight since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 five years ago. Adesanya suggested Gaethje could attend that event as a ringside spectator, with the winner potentially becoming his next opponent.

There is existing history between Gaethje and Holloway. Holloway delivered a dramatic last-second knockout over Gaethje at UFC 300, meaning a Gaethje vs. Holloway rematch carries its own narrative weight. But Adesanya believes the McGregor pairing is where the real commercial power lies.

The former middleweight champion did, however, question whether Holloway was the wisest choice for McGregor’s comeback. “Look, reality is reality and Max is reality, so dealing with that for your first fight back, I reckon he should have done the Chandler fight, to be honest,” Adesanya said. “Chandler sat how many years of his career waiting for this fight? It was too long. As a comeback fight, Max is a volume puncher, a guy who is just going to be in your face with legs, hands — that’s not an easy fight to come back to. But look, if anyone rises to the occasion, it’s the Notorious one, Conor.”

McGregor and Holloway have history of their own, having first met in 2013 as featherweight prospects — a bout McGregor won by decision despite tearing his ACL during the fight. Both men went on to become UFC champions, with McGregor capturing titles at 145 and 155 pounds.

Also in the lightweight picture is No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan, who has lost just twice in 12 UFC appearances. His relationship with the promotion has been strained since an injury forced him to withdraw from a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 at the last minute, leaving his path to another championship opportunity uncertain.

With McGregor’s return imminent and Gaethje now holding the belt, the lightweight division is shaping up to be one of the most commercially charged in recent memory — and Adesanya, for one, knows exactly which fight he wants to see made.