Justin Gaethje is ready to fight for the title again.
“The Highlight” is coming off a second-round submission defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in their lightweight title unification clash at UFC 254 on Saturday.
Nurmagomedov would later announce his retirement after the fight which means the lightweight title is now vacant again. And that means Gaethje could be back in title contention very soon.
“He just relinquished the title so I’m ready to fight for the title again,” Gaethje told UFC Arabia after the fight.
With a fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier slated for January, it’s very possible they contest for the vacant title next, though UFC president Dana White isn’t planning anything just yet.
Meanwhile, White recently touted the winner of a potential Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Chandler fight as the next in line to challenge Nurmagomedov — that was until the latter retired.
And should either fighter be offered to Gaethje next, he is more than willing to face them.
“Yeah, I believe I’m number one,” Gaethje said. “They might move me down, who knows? I don’t control that shit. But yeah, I do want to fight. I’ll be ready.
“I believe I’m the number one contender, I’ll fight the winner of that. They haven’t signed yet. If the UFC wants to line one of them up, I’ll be ready. If the UFC wants to give it to someone else, that’s on them. This is my job and I will be ready next time.”
It will certainly be interesting to see what matchups are made in the lightweight division in the next few months.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHdCSdR9OK4
