TLDR
- Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria in June 2026 to win the UFC lightweight championship
- Gaethje believes Topuria is too small for lightweight and should return to featherweight
- The 37-year-old champion hasn’t decided if he will defend his title or retire
- Gaethje confirmed Arman Tsarukyan as his next opponent if he chooses to fight again
- Tsarukyan was promised a title shot by UFC after his knockout win at UFC 331
Sources: yardbarker.com | yardbarker.com | sports.yahoo.com
UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has ruled out an immediate rematch with Ilia Topuria, saying the former champion should return to featherweight instead.
Gaethje defeated Topuria in June at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn to capture the lightweight title. Despite giving Topuria his first career MMA loss, Gaethje does not believe a second fight makes sense.
“I think he should go down,” Gaethje said on the Flagrant 2 Army podcast. “I think he can beat [Alexander] Volkanovski and be champion at featherweight. I don’t think he’ll ever be champion at lightweight.”
Gaethje pointed to several fighters in the division that would pose problems for Topuria. “He can’t beat Arman [Tsarukyan]. He’s going to have a difficult time with Paddy [Pimblett]. There’s a bunch of dogs,” he said.
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🗣️ “So I’m a creature of habit. I was in Abu Dhabi during COVID, we were contained to a hotel, I saw the sun maybe twice in 12 days.”
🗣️ “They don’t have the… pic.twitter.com/ZVGUAfAgnc
— FightLuck (@FightluckBet) September 23, 2026
Size Difference Was Key Factor
The champion explained that Topuria’s size disadvantage was apparent during their fight. “I think he’s undersized for lightweight. That’s what I felt,” Gaethje said.
Gaethje acknowledged that Topuria possesses the skill to compete at 155 pounds but believes the physical mismatch is too much to overcome. “This sport is crazy, so obviously a little luck, a little chance [is] always involved. Can he get lucky, and is he skilled enough? Absolutely,” he said.
Gaethje’s manager Ali Abdelaziz told Submission Radio that Topuria is not comparable to Conor McGregor, despite some fans drawing parallels. “He’s not Conor McGregor. Nobody is,” Abdelaziz said. “I believe Justin Gaethje will beat him nine out of 10 times. You know why? Justin has his number.”
Tsarukyan Next But Future Uncertain
Gaethje confirmed that Arman Tsarukyan would be his next opponent if he decides to defend the title. Tsarukyan earned the number one contender spot with a devastating elbow knockout against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on Saturday.
“[Arman] is the next in line. If and when I defend this championship, that will be who I fight,” Gaethje said. “I just don’t know right now.”
The 37-year-old champion revealed he has not made a final decision about his fighting future. “Everyone’s like, ‘Fight Arman.’ I have injuries I need to take care of. I haven’t made a decision,” he said.
Gaethje has competed in 40 professional fights throughout his career. He said the physical toll from his recent title campaigns has forced him to consider retirement.
“I gave a lot of myself for this fight in January and June. Luckily, I came out on top, but it cost me a lot, so I need to recover. I need to rest my brain because a lot of training went into those fights,” Gaethje explained.
The champion plans to take the remainder of 2026 off before making any decisions. “I’m going to enjoy being champion the rest of the year. I’m going to make a business decision and a life decision whenever the time comes,” he said.
Tsarukyan told reporters after UFC 331 that UFC officials promised him a title fight next. “The bosses were happy with my performance. They told me, ‘We’re gonna talk to you next week.’ After this, I’m gonna get the title fight; they said ‘yes’. Next fight is gonna be for the title,” Tsarukyan said.
Tsarukyan expressed his preference to fight Gaethje for the championship. “I wanna fight for the title with champion Justin Gaethje. I hope this fight is gonna happen beginning of next year,” he said. Tsarukyan has won six consecutive fights and holds an 11-2 UFC record since joining the promotion in 2019.
