‘If It Happens Again, I’m Done’

Gaethje still believes he can get to a title shot with a win. But he also knows one more bad knockout would send him into retirement.

Justin Gaethje was back in the spotlight at UFC 306 after several months away from the sport recovering from a bad knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300. To us fans, it was the knockout of the year. It was one of the greatest moments in combat sports history.

To Gaethje, it was a near-retirement moment, and if something like that happens again, he won’t be sticking around to potentially take another.

“If I ever go to sleep like I just went to sleep, I’m done,” he told MMA Fighting. “I’m not doing it three more times, two more times. I’ll do that one more time. If I have to. I’m not choosing that, but it’s always a possibility. And if it happens, I’m done.”

In a different time, that loss to Holloway would have thrown Gaethje out of title contention. But these days, “The Highlight” believes he’s still one good win away from a title shot. That’s why the defeat didn’t have him considering retirement.

“The direct call was once I know that I cannot win the undisputed championship belt or fight for it, then I might as well hang up the gloves,” he said. “I do not believe I’ve reached that point.”

“But outside that, I don’t know. It’s hard to put a number,” he said of fights left in him. “It’s been one at a time. I literally just yesterday, I was like, ‘Fighting’s awesome, I wanna try it.’ And now look at this, from the middle of nowhere, Arizona. It’s crazy that I’ve made it this far. And it’s been a amazing ride.”

Gaethje recently shared a list of opponents he felt would get him back to the title featuring Dan Hooker, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, and Alexander Volkanovski. Oliveira is now set to fight Michael Chandler and Alexander Volkanovski is eyeing an interim featherweight title shot.

But Dustin Poirier sounded interested in a rubber match, despite the first two fights taking years off their lives.

Who do you want to see Justin Gaethje return against? Let us know in the comments below!