“I mean, I’m always shooting for Makhachev. Right now, he’s the champion.” Justin Gaethje told Jim Rome in a recent interview. “And we saw with [Dustin] Poirier, I beat him and then he fought for the belt. I think timing is such a huge factor in this sport. Really there are not a lot of guys. With a huge win here and certainly a finish, I think they are gonna have to consider me [for a title shot]. I have never fought him [Islam] and that’s what we are looking for.”
For context, ‘The Highlight’ is set to face Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 on March 8, and hopes a big win will secure him a title shot at champ Islam Makhachev. And fellow lightweight star, Michael Chandler, who shares a very amicable relationship with the Arizona native, has thrown his weight behind this idea. “Sure hope so. Dude deserves it,” ‘Iron’ wrote, quote tweeting Gaethje’s comments to Jim Rome.
The former interim champ was, in fact, pretty close to getting a title fight last year. However, since Gaethje wasn’t available for UFC 302 in June last year when Makhachev wanted to fight, Dustin Poirier got the green light. The important thing is that Poirier’s third shot at the 155lbs gold went forward even though ‘The Highlight’ had knocked him out in their UFC 291 BMF title clash the previous year.
Sure hope so. Dude deserves it. https://t.co/NqriN7PXYh
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) February 28, 2025
In fact, the reason Gaethje wasn’t available for UFC 302 last year is that he had been slept by Max Holloway in their generational UFC 300 clash two months before. And with that loss, the Arizona native lost his place in the title picture. Charles Oliveira, coming off a fantastic win over Michael Chandler seems like the only game in town for Makhachev at the moment. But in good news for ‘The Highlight’, the champ has given him a very public and emphatic vote of confidence as the next title contender.
Islam Makhachev wants Justin Gaethje in July
There is a dearth of any real title contenders in the UFC’s lightweight division. Except for one man- Charles Oliveira. But Makhachev isn’t really keen on rematching ‘Do Bronx’, which, of course, is good news for Gaethje. But that’s not all. The Makhachkala native has explicitly said that he wants to fight ‘The Highlight’ this year.
“I like this idea because I haven’t fought Justin yet… I’ve already fought [Oliveira and Arman], and preparing for the same opponent is not such a big motivation. But if Gaethje shows himself well in the next fight, we can meet,” the lightweight champ told Russian MMA outlet ‘Ushtayaka’.
MMA: UFC 291 – Poirier vs Gaethje Jul 29, 2023, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Justin Gaethje blue gloves reacts to defeating Dustin Poirier red gloves during UFC 291 at Delta Center. Salt Lake City Delta Center Utah USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJeffxSwingerx 20230729_szo_si8_0368
This means that if Gaethje can get the job done against Rafael Fiziev next weekend, he will almost definitely find himself fighting for the vaunted UFC lightweight title before the year ends. But if he loses, ‘The Highlight’, who turns 37 this year, may never fight for a UFC title ever again. UFC 313 may well determine the course of the rest of Gaethje’s career. What do you think about Michael Chandler supporting Justin Gaethje’s title aspirations ahead of his next outing?
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