Justin Gaethje Reveals Who He Will Fight Next in UFC Title Defense

UFC fans would be excited to see this one.

Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) celebrates after winning the UFC Freedom 250 fight against Ilia Topuria (not pictured) at the White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje was brutally honest with himself. Three months have passed since his title-seeking upset win against former champion Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.

Gaethje, who still hasn't made a collective decision regarding his future in the UFC or MMA, is fully aware that Arman Tsarukyan staked his claim as the division's No. 1 contender this past Saturday at UFC 331 with a devastating elbow KO vs. Mauricio Ruffy.

Will Justin Gaethje Compete for the UFC Again?

Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) celebrates after winning the UFC Freedom 250 fight against Ilia Topuria (not pictured) at the White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Should Gaethje return to the Octagon for what would be his first lightweight title defense, he told the Flagrant 2 Army podcast that Tsarukyan is the most deserving contender to fight him some time next year. But Gaethje admitted he isn't ruling out walking away from MMA entirely, effectively changing the path forward at 155 pounds.

After the Arman Tsarukyan fight, Justin Gaethje still hasn’t made a decision on whether he will fight again:

“Everyone’s like ‘fight Arman’. I have injuries I need to take care of. I haven’t made a decision.

I’m 37 years old. I’ve had 40 fights. I don’t know. I don’t need to… pic.twitter.com/mPm2knfL9j

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 23, 2026

"Everyone’s like, ‘Fight Arman.' " I have injuries I need to take care of," Gaethje said. "I haven’t made a decision. I’m 37 years old. I’ve had 40 fights. I don’t know. I don’t need to [fight again].”

Gaethje, however, added that Tsarukyan is a formidable opponent and a fresh matchup compared with the vast majority of his UFC career, where rematches and legacy-type fights were common.

[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."

Gaethje said his priorities are anything but remaining active, whereas Tsarukyan has been explicitly told by UFC brass that he is fighting for a world championship no matter what.

"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.

Is Justin Gaethje-Arman Tsarukyan Up Next at Lightweight?

Sep 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arman Tsarukyan (red gloves) looks on before a fight against Mauricio Ruffy (not pictured) during UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If it were up to Tsarukyan, his first choice would be Gaethje.

"I wanna fight for the title with champion Justin Gaethje," Tsarukyan said. "I hope this fight is gonna happen beginning of next year."

The UFC has not announced any of its locations for next year. To begin 2026, the promotion held consecutive numbered events, including UFC 324 (Las Vegas) and UFC 325 (Australia) after being absent for the remaining six weeks of 2025.

It's unknown whether the promotion goes that route again, as UFC 335 (Dec. 12) remains without a main event as of Thursday. The event is set for the T-Mobile Arena, which has played host to three numbered UFC events thus far this year.

For now, we'll see what the UFC has up its sleeve for a potential Tsarukyan title fight.