“He’s the Boss”: Justin Gaethje’s Manager Confirms UFC Champ Isn’t Retiring, but There’s One Condition

The 37-year-old pulled off one of the sport's biggest upsets by beating Ilia Topuria via fourth-round corner TKO at UFC Freedom 250 in June on the White House grounds. 

Since becoming the new undisputed UFC lightweight champion, the MMA world has been curious about what the champion would do next, and Abdelaziz seems to have answered all of their questions. 

Abdelaziz Rules Out Justin Gaethje’s Retirement With One Condition

Many fans questioned if Justin Gaethje would become UFC champion before retiring, and the Ilia Topuria bout appeared to be his final championship try. However, Gaethje turned the tables, but the retirement question still looms. 

Abdelaziz, however, denied those claims. He told MMA Junkie, “2027, we will see Justin Gaethje fight. He's fought two times this year. He deserves that time off. He's still the lightweight champion, undisputed, and I think all those guys have to chase him." 

However, Gaethje’s manager made it clear that the champion has conditions, and he doesn’t want to take small fights. "He wants to be in a big fight. Big, big fight. At the end of the day, it just has to be a massive fight," Abdelaziz said. 

The UFC's lightweight division is full of killer fighters, and several worthy contenders are already in the title race. Even Abdelaziz has a few suggestions for Gaethje's future defense. 

Who’s the Massive Fight for Gaethje Next?

Shortly after capturing the championship against Topuria, Gaethje stated on The Joe Rogan Experience that he does not believe it is finished. 

However, Gaethje is on medical leave due to injuries and will not return until March. Thus, his first championship defense will take place in early 2027. 

In the same interview, Abdelaziz floated a few names for Gaethje’s first title defense. “He can fight one more time because nobody tells him what to do. He's the boss… I think a rematch with him and Max Holloway would be huge. There are a lot of rumors Charles and Arman are gonna fight in LA in September, maybe the winner of that,” Abdelaziz said.

Max Holloway is coming off a victory against McGregor after the latter got injured in the initial seconds of the round. Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira dropped out of the Arman Tsarukyan fight following the untimely death of a teammate. 

And to replace him, another Brazilian, Mauricio Ruffy, has been called up against Tsarukyan. This bout will take place on September 19 at UFC 331. 

Given the circumstances, the championship picture is clear: the winner of Ruffy vs. Tsarukyan will compete for the title. However, it is ultimately up to the UFC and Justin Gaethje to decide.