TLDR
- Justin Gaethje has not decided whether he will retire or continue fighting after his June championship win
- The 37-year-old fighter is recovering from a deep bone bruise in his knee and hand injuries
- Gaethje confirmed he will not fight again in 2026 and is relying on family to help make his decision
- He defeated Ilia Topuria via technical knockout at UFC Freedom 250 to reclaim the lightweight title
- Possible future opponents include a Topuria rematch or the winner of Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331
Sources: yardbarker.com | zamin.uz | nyfights.com
UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje says he has not made a decision about retirement following his championship victory in June. The 37-year-old fighter told media he is still recovering from injuries and will not return to the octagon before the end of 2026.
Gaethje is currently dealing with a deep bone bruise in his knee and continues to experience problems with his hand. He said he fought twice in 2026 and needs time to fully recover from both bouts.
“I’ve fought twice this year, I have deep bone bruise in my knee, I can’t punch with my hand still so I really need to recover and I know for a fact I won’t fight again this year,” Gaethje said.
Family Will Help Decide Fighting Future
The veteran fighter explained he is relying on his family and coaching team to help him make the retirement decision. Gaethje said he has always trusted his parents, brothers, sister, and coaches to have honest conversations with him when the time comes.
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“I really rely on them and lean on them to help me through this choice, I think it’s a big choice,” he said. “But I do think I’m a business and I need to approach this like a business.”
Gaethje acknowledged that despite his age, he performed better than ever in his recent fights. He said statistically his performance should not have been possible at this stage of his career.
The American fighter created a major upset at UFC Freedom 250 in June when he defeated the previously undefeated Ilia Topuria via technical knockout. The 29-year-old Topuria, who held championship status in two weight divisions, was forced to stop the fight due to severe injuries.
Strategic Victory Over Topuria
Gaethje revealed the key to his victory was identifying a weakness in Topuria’s footwork. He said Topuria never changes his foot rhythm and only moves forward or backward, rarely moving laterally.
“He never changes the rhythm of his feet. He moves either forward or backward; you rarely see him move laterally,” Gaethje explained. “In the end, it was all about calculating his footwork correctly. The plan was to break his rhythm, and we succeeded.”
Despite Topuria landing more total strikes (97 to Gaethje’s 91), the American’s counter-strikes had devastating power that eventually broke down the younger champion’s defense.
Gaethje also weighed in on the upcoming UFC 331 co-main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy scheduled for September 19 in Los Angeles. He said Tsarukyan should be considered the rightful number one contender for the lightweight title.
However, Gaethje expressed doubts about Tsarukyan’s commitment after he withdrew two days before UFC 311, where he was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev for the title. Gaethje believes Tsarukyan was having trouble making weight rather than dealing with the back injury he cited.
“The truth is he wasn’t going to make weight, so he dropped out,” Gaethje said. “If it was his back and there was a medical report on paper with the UFC, then he wouldn’t be suffering like this.”
Possible next fights for Gaethje include a rematch with Topuria or facing the winner of Tsarukyan versus Ruffy. Nothing will be confirmed until Gaethje makes a final decision about his fighting future and completes his recovery from injuries.
