Champion Gaethje picks McGregor over rematches: 'Fun to shut him up'

Justin Gaethje, the new UFC lightweight champion, has dismissed the idea of avenging recent losses to Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, instead singling out Conor McGregor as the opponent he would most enjoy facing next.

Gaethje claimed the undisputed lightweight title with a stunning upset over the previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria at UFC White House, ending years of near-misses that included two interim title reigns and a BMF belt. Now holding the undisputed crown for the first time, he is in no rush to name his next challenger.

“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.”

McGregor’s return to the octagon in July ended after just 19 seconds when he suffered a serious knee injury against Holloway at UFC 329, leaving his future in the sport uncertain. Gaethje’s interest in the matchup appears rooted as much in the spectacle as in any competitive calculus.

The champion acknowledged the psychological shift that comes with holding the belt. “It’s such a weird place to be in,” he 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.”

Gaethje is monitoring the lightweight division’s contender picture closely, pointing to Arman Tsarukyan — who faces Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on 19 September with a title shot potentially at stake — as one fight that could shape his next defence. Tsarukyan has publicly stated his intention to surpass Islam Makhachev’s record of four consecutive lightweight title defences.

Any return for Gaethje is still some way off. Hand injuries sustained during the Topuria fight mean he will not defend the title until 2027, giving the division time to reorganise around him. He was candid about his longer-term future, saying he continues to weigh the decision with his team and family rather than setting a firm retirement timeline.

“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.”