Newly crowned UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje is getting ready to defend his throne and already has an ideal legacy fight in mind before hanging up the gloves: Conor McGregor.
Following his crowning moment in June, the 37-year-old fan favorite has put revenge thoughts against previous conquerors Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira behind him, reasoning that Ilia Topuria’s victories over both eliminated the need for rematches.
“If I could pick anybody that I fought in my career before, who would I fight again? 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. Yeah. It’d be fun to shut him up.”
After enjoying well-deserved downtime with his family following a relentless schedule in early 2026, ‘The Highlight’ is recharged and ready to embrace his new reality as the target, rather than the hunter:
“Man, it’s such a weird place to be in. There’s always been a champion. I always had somebody to chase. So, now being the champion, it’s like I just have to retain and hold on to what I have. I’m not looking at specific opponents. I know the best in the world are gunning for me, and that is the name of the game.”
