“The Highlight” has no interest in anything other than a 155-pound title shot … and he’s willing to wait as long as it takes to get it.
Don’t expect to see Justin Gaethje back in the cage unless he’s fighting for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight title. And don’t expect it to be short notice in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, either.
“The Highlight” reinforced that important message in a new interview with ESPN. Following Islam Makhachev’s knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 this past weekend (Sat., Oct. 21. 2023) on “Fight Island” (watch highlights), Gaethje called on UFC to give him dibs on the Dagestani champion. Unfortunately for Gaethje, the promotion is looking to rebook Charles Oliveira as the next contender.
I’m next
— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) October 21, 2023
“If they want to put Oliveira in there, then I fight him in September [or next October],” Gaethje said.
“I have no issues waiting,” he added. “Again, as I get older I get to understand from now until the time I’m gonna fight him I’m gonna be building strength, I’m gonna be working on my cardio, I’m gonna be refining my skills. So, I’ll take as much time as they give me and I’ll be that much more ready.”
Gaethje, 34, sees the end of his career approaching, and he’s doing everything he can to lock up a fourth title fight in pursuit of UFC gold. “The Highlight” won the interim 155-pound title over the much-maligned Tony Ferguson back in May 2020 (watch highlights), only to lose a unification match to Khabib Nurmagomedov in his next fight (relive that here).
Since losing his most recent title fight to Charles Oliveira, Gaethje has earned wins over Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier (for the prestigious “BMF” belt). In his mind, that’s more than enough to justify another crack at the Lightweight championship.
“Who do I fight?” Gaethje asked. “There’s no one. I did what I had to do … I don’t know what else I need to do.”
For complete UFC 294 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.