Justin Gaethje Still Desires the Conor McGregor Fight Despite Lauding Arman Tsarukyan as a Deserving Contender
After UFC 331, Justin Gaethje is convinced enough about Arman Tsarukyan being a deserving title shot contender, but he still stayed open to the Conor McGregor fight.
Arman Tsarukyan's dominating victory over Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 has convinced the reigning lightweight champ, Justin Gaethje, that the Armenian deserves the next title shot. However, 'The Highlight' refrained from confirming anything as he kept a fight against Conor McGregor in the same position on his priority list.
Justin Gaethje Wants to Be Conor McGregor's Final UFC Opponent
Currently, a lot of narratives are flying around in the UFC community regarding who should be Gaethje's next opponent. While one part is rallying for a rematch with Ilia Topuria, others are saying it should be Tsarukyan, given that he proved his contendership with his first-round TKO victory over Ruffy.
However, Gaethje brought a completely unexpected contender into this picture about a month ago. He shockingly picked McGregor as his preferred opponent for his first title defense, leaving behind Topuria. Considering the Irishman's usual brashness, 'The Highlight' specifically mentioned that it would be "fun to shut him up."
Back then, Tsarukyan hadn't become one of the strongest contenders, as his UFC 331 fight hadn't happened yet. But even his remarkable victory over Ruffy couldn't make him Gaethje's lone choice for his first title defense. 'The Highlight' accepted Tsarukyan as the most deserving contender, but also clarified that he still wants the McGregor fight, more so since the former UFC champ-champ has just a single fight left on his contract.
During his recent appearance on Andrew Schulz's Flagrant podcast, Gaethje said, "Conor McGregor has one fight left on his contract. That'll be fun... It's not that I don't wanna fight Arman. I mean, he is the next in line. If and when I defend this championship, that should be who I fight. I just don't know."
Justin Gaethje is down for the Conor McGregor fight, but gives Arman Tsarukyan his flowers as the most deserving title contender.
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) September 24, 2026
Via @Flagrant2Army pic.twitter.com/XsCywV6zDh
Gaethje also indicated that he isn't investing himself in these issues currently, given that he is still recovering from his injuries from his last fight against Topuria.
The UFC often grants divisional champions their wishes, like when they elected Marlon 'Chito' Vera as Sean O'Malley's first bantamweight title defense opponent, just because 'Suga' wanted to avenge his earlier loss. Similarly, Dana White and Co. might give a nod to Gaethje's wish to fight McGregor next, but there is one major complication.
McGregor returned to the octagon at UFC 329 as a welterweight. Considering that he has gained weight significantly, it cannot be confirmed whether he would agree to cut down to the lightweight limit once more. Even if McGregor agrees, the lack of conditioning due to his prolonged hiatus from the sport might make the weight cut too hazardous for his health.
On the other hand, Tsarukyan has already mentioned that he wants to fight Gaethje as soon as possible, which makes him the most probable next opponent for the reigning champ. But despite the odds being against the McGregor fight, it cannot be counted out due to the massive number of eyeballs it can attract.
Given Gaethje and McGregor's statures, just a nod from the Irishman can lead to the materialization of the encounter. 'The Highlight's' current status as the lightweight champion also makes him a strong choice of opponent for possibly McGregor's last UFC fight, since the chances of him signing another contract with the promotion are really low.
