“After this plays out, he’s probably next in line. It depends on what happens with Dustin and Conor.”
Dana White has tried to alleviate Justin Gaethje’s concerns about being left behind in the UFC lightweight title picture by reminding ‘The Highlight’ that he could be next in line for a title shot, depending on what happens with Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor in their upcoming trilogy bout.
There’s also Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler, who will square off for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262, but White assured Gaethje that he is still very much in the mix at 155 pounds.
“He fits very well in all this,” White said when asked about Gaethje at the UFC 260 pre-fight press conference (h/t BJPenn.com). “After this plays out, he’s probably next in line. It depends on what happens with Dustin and Conor.”
“You know how that is. Timing is everything when these fights happen, how much damage did the guy who won take and what kind of personal sh*t does he have going on,” White added. “You know all that stuff factors into when the next fight would be, but Justin Gaethje couldn’t be in a better position.”
Gaethje hasn’t fought since his failed bid to capture the lightweight title at UFC 254, which saw the 32-year-old submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the second round. He is currently #2 in the official UFC lightweight rankings.