Justin Gaethje is the UFC Lightweight (155 lbs / 70.3 kg) champion and he has a very specific view of his own history. Max Holloway knocked him out at UFC 300. Charles Oliveira submitted him in a title fight. Both men have a sporting argument for a rematch with the champion. Gaethje has a counter-argument that most people did not see coming and it involves Ilia Topuria.
What Happened
Gaethje spoke to CBS Sports’ Damien Harris on Paramount+ in a wide-ranging interview published on September 2, 2026. He was asked directly which past opponent he would choose for a rematch. The question was straightforward. The answer was not.
Gaethje told Harris that his victory over Topuria at UFC White House in June 2026 effectively cancelled out his losses to both Holloway and Oliveira. His reasoning was simple. Topuria had stopped both men in championship fights. Holloway lost his featherweight title to Topuria. Oliveira was submitted by Topuria. By knocking out the man who finished both of them, Gaethje argued he had already settled the score without needing to share the Octagon with either fighter again.
“It would have been Oliveira or Holloway, but since Topuria beat them, I’m going to go ahead and justify it to myself like I got them back,” Gaethje said. “So I guess McGregor. Fun to shut him up.”
The logic is unconventional. It is also exactly the kind of argument a fighter tells himself when he would rather look forward than backward.
Key Details
Gaethje stopped Topuria 17-1-0 via TKO in Round 4 at UFC White House on June 11, 2026, in Washington D.C. to become the undisputed UFC Lightweight champion. The result ended Topuria’s unbeaten professional record and gave Gaethje the title he had chased across two interim reigns and multiple failed title bids. It was the defining moment of his career.
Topuria had previously stopped Holloway via TKO in the fourth round to win the featherweight title at UFC 308 in October 2024. He had also submitted Oliveira in Round 3 at UFC 322 in November 2025 when Oliveira challenged for the lightweight title Topuria held at the time.
Gaethje lost to Holloway by knockout at UFC 300 in April 2024, when Holloway landed a final punch before the bell in Round 5 to finish the BMF title fight in one of the most dramatic endings in UFC history. Gaethje lost to Oliveira via submission at UFC 274 in May 2022 when Oliveira choked him out in Round 3 of their lightweight title fight.
By defeating the man who stopped both of them, Gaethje believes the transitive logic of MMA mathematics works in his favor. Whether the MMA community accepts that reasoning is a different conversation.
On the McGregor front, significant logistical obstacles exist. Conor McGregor 22-7-0 suffered a knee injury at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026, when he lost to Holloway at welterweight in Las Vegas. He is expected to be sidelined until 2027 at the earliest. The UFC is unlikely to hold a lightweight title fight in a holding pattern for twelve or more months while a returning fighter recovers from a serious knee injury.
Gaethje also revealed that he is recovering from hand injuries sustained during or after the Topuria fight. His next title defense is not projected until early 2027 at the earliest, which may actually create enough time for the McGregor fight to become realistic if McGregor’s recovery goes smoothly.
What This Means for the Lightweight Division
The UFC Lightweight division has never been more crowded with legitimate challengers. Arman Tsarukyan 23-4-0 is booked against Mauricio Ruffy 16-4-0 at UFC 331 on September 19. A Tsarukyan win over Ruffy positions him as the most logical next title challenger based on ranking and activity. Gaethje acknowledged Tsarukyan directly in his CBS Sports interview, saying the results of upcoming fights will determine who he faces next.
Holloway 27-8-0 has spoken publicly about wanting to face Gaethje as one option for his next fight. He also holds the BMF title, which adds an extra layer of significance to any potential Gaethje rematch. If Holloway wins his next fight and Gaethje opens a title defense conversation, the BMF belt adds commercial weight beyond the lightweight championship itself.
Oliveira 34-10-0 told media he would put the BMF belt on the line to challenge the lightweight champion. At 35 years old, Oliveira remains one of the most dangerous submission specialists in UFC history. His claim on a title shot is legitimate based on his win over Tsarukyan before that fight fell through and his overall rank in the division.
The reality for both Holloway and Oliveira is that Gaethje’s logic however unconventional may actually work in his favor when it comes to UFC matchmaking decisions. The promotion is not obligated to grant either man a rematch. Song Yadong’s dramatic UFC Shanghai win shifted bantamweight attention significantly this week, as covered in our Song Yadong Umar Nurmagomedov upset of the year article. But the lightweight division sits as the most commercially valuable weight class in the UFC and every title fight carries significant pay-per-view importance.
Background Context
Justin Gaethje 29-5-0 was born on November 14, 1988, in Safford, Arizona. He trains at MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona under head coach John Crouch and wrestling coach Loren Landow. He is a former two-time UFC interim Lightweight champion and the current undisputed champion.
His career losses came against Khabib Nurmagomedov 29-0-0 at UFC 254 in October 2020, Charles Oliveira at UFC 274 in May 2022, Michael Chandler 24-9-0 at UFC 268 in November 2021 in a split decision, Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April 2024, and Ilia Topuria in a non-title fight earlier in his career. His professional record stands at 29-5-0 with 22 wins by KO/TKO.
The Topuria victory at UFC White House ended one of the sport’s most anticipated champion-versus-champion storylines and installed Gaethje as the division’s undisputed ruler at 36 years old. His stated desire to fight McGregor next despite the logistical obstacles reflects a champion at the end of his active career years who wants the biggest commercial fights available rather than the most competitive rematches on his record. For the full UFC 332 landscape that sits between now and Gaethje’s expected return, see our UFC 332 replacement main event article and the broader divisional context in the UFC Paris Hooker vs Parnasse preview.
Conclusion
Justin Gaethje’s argument that beating Ilia Topuria already avenged his losses to Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira is the kind of logic a champion uses when he has earned the right to choose his own path. The mathematics of MMA transitive records is not a formally recognised principle. But Gaethje won the title that both men failed to win against Topuria, and that reality gives his argument more weight than it might first appear to carry. Whether the UFC books him against McGregor, Tsarukyan, Holloway, or Oliveira next, Gaethje is the champion and the choice belongs to him. He has decided the past is settled. The lightweight division will have to accept that and move forward accordingly.
