Justin Gaethje will retire if his next fight isn’t for a UFC title.
That’s according to Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who has revealed his fighter will call it a day in MMA if he doesn’t fight the winner of Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
This could be a huge blow to Liverpool’s top lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett, who has been rumoured to lock horns with Gaethje in order to set up his own title shot down the line.
However, with Pimblett not currently the champion at 155 lbs, he may have to face a lower ranked opponent next instead of Gaethje, meaning his title ambitions could be delayed for now.
“Justin Gaethje will fight the winner [of Topuria vs Oliveira],” Abdelaziz told Submission Radio on Monday when asked about his fighter’s future.
Abdelaziz looks after some of the UFC’s biggest stars, including lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, former UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, as well as the legendary now-retired fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“[Gaethje’s] won three of his last four, he’s saved the UFC two times,” Abdelaziz added.
“They needed him and he was there – the guy’s done so much for this sport.
“If anyone says he doesn’t deserve it… [Gaethje] said, ‘If I don’t fight for the title, I’m just gonna hang up my gloves…
“[Gaethje] is a very principled guy, and I’ve never felt so strong about this.
“He said yesterday, ‘If I’m not going to get a title shot, I feel disrespected. I love being a UFC fighter, I love the UFC, but I feel the UFC has to love me back.’
“He doesn’t feel the love right now, at the end of the day I think they will give him what he wants… but we have to see what happens first between Charles and Ilia.”
Gaethje’s ultimatum could be a huge issue for PimblettGettyUFC Lightweight Rankings
Top 15
Champion: Islam Makhachev (vacates June 29)
Arman Tsarukyan Charles Oliveira Justin Gaethje Max Holloway Dustin Poirier Dan Hooker Mateusz Gamrot Paddy Pimblett Beneil Dariush Renato Moicano Rafael Fiziev Michael Chandler Benoit Saint-Denis Grant Dawson Joel AlvarezTopuria will meet Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317 on June 29 to fight for the vacant lightweight title.
Current champion Makhachev dropped the belt last month to move up to welterweight, and will no longer be champion once Topuria and Oliveira meet in the Octagon.
Topuria has also made a division switch, having vacated his UFC featherweight title in February to fight at 155 lbs.
Arman Tsarukyan, Gaethje, Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier and Pimblett all sit at the top of the UFC lightweight rankings.
However, Poirier meets Holloway in his retirement fight at UFC 318 in July, leaving Tsarukyan, Gaethje and Pimblett as contenders to fight for the title after UFC 317.
But Tsarukyan is unlikely to challenge for the belt next as he is not on good terms with UFC President and CEO Dana White, having pulled out of his title fight with Makhachev in January on short notice.
Abdelaziz’s comments are not good news for PimblettGetty The Liverpudlian dominated Michael Chandler at UFC 314 to surge up the lightweight rankingsGettyThis would leave Gaethje and Pimblett, with many fans hoping the pair would meet in a title eliminator bout to decide who would fight for the lightweight strap next.
However, Abdelaziz’s comments makes it seem like Gaethje would not be interested in a fight with Pimblett, and he only wants the winner of Topuria vs Oliveira.
Gaethje bounced back from an iconic knockout loss to Holloway at UFC 300 in April to claim a unanimous decision win over Rafael Fiziev in his last fight.
‘The Highlight’ knocked out Poirier at UFC 291 in July 2023 after defeating Fiziev at the first time of asking four months prior.
He has stepped in on short notice multiple times in the promotion, notably against Tony Ferguson for the interim UFC lightweight championship in 2020.
Gaethje won the interim belt after five rounds via unanimous decision, but was defeated in his one and only undisputed title fight to date against Nurmagomedov in October of the same year, tapping to the Russian legend in the second round.
Pimblett, meanwhile, is undefeated in White’s promotion and made light work of Michael Chandler in his last fight at UFC 314 in April.
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