Justin Gaethje floats title defense vs. Conor McGregor to 'shut him up'

Justin Gaethje mused that the UFC's lightweight division is cleaned out after his victory over Ilia Topuria for the undisputed title at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

He does have a fighter in mind for his first defense: Conor McGregor.

Gaethje told Paramount Plus he'd be interested in taking on McGregor rather than contenders Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, who both have wins over Gaethje, because Topuria has defeated them both.

"Damn, there's really no one," Gaethje told Paramount Plus. "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.

"So I guess McGregor. Fun to shut him up."

McGregor, 38, returned to the Octagon in July after a five-year absence. He lasted exactly 69 seconds against Holloway after suffering a right leg injury that forced a stoppage. The former double champ (featherweight, lightweight) has not won since 2020, when he defeated Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 246.

Gaethje got serious later in the interview about what's ahead. He mentioned Arman Tsarukyan, who was supposed to fight Oliveira at UFC 331 but instead will take on Mauricio Ruffy. Gaethje also spoke about how different it is to be the undisputed champion after years of being a challenger or an interim champ.

"It's such a weird place to be in," Gaethje said. "There's always been a champion, I've always had somebody to chase. Now, being the champion, it's like I just have to retain and hold onto what I have. I'm not looking at specific opponents, I know the best in the world are gunning for me. So that is the name of the game. I know that it's going to be one of the best guys in the world.

"Arman was fighting Oliveira, now he's fighting someone else, so there's a couple of big fights that are going to determine who I'll fight next."

Gaethje's next fight won't be until 2027. He is still healing after sustaining a hand injury against Topuria.

--Field Level Media