Justin Gaethje picks Conor McGregor for his first title defence

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has refused rematches with Max Holloway or Charles Oliveira and has set his sights on former two-division champion Conor McGregor.

Gaethje has previously said that his next UFC fight will likely be in 2027 while his hands recover, and Ali Abdelaziz has pointed toward a major fight next year.

Gaethje, in a new interview with Paramount+, clarified how he is thinking about the opponent list after his win over Ilia Topuria.

Asked who he would like to face in his first title defence, Gaethje said there is not one challenger because the division has to keep sorting itself out.

“Man, it’s like such a weird place to be in, you know, there’s always been a champion. I always had somebody to chase. So, now being the champion, it’s like I just have to retain and hold on to what I have,” Gaethje said.

“I’m not looking at specific opponents. I know the best in the world are gunning for me and so that is the name of the game. So, I know it’s going to be one of the best guys in the world.

“Arman fights, all of Arman fights, he was fighting Oliveira. Now, he’s fighting someone else. So, that’s a big, there’s a couple big fights that are going to determine who I’ll fight next.”

Gaethje, while talking about his next opponent, said he does not want a rematch against Oliveira or Holloway and wants to shut McGregor up.

“If I could pick anybody that fought in my career before, who would I fight again? Damn, there’s really no one that I 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,” he added.

“So, I guess McGregor. Want to shut him up.”

McGregor, on the other hand, is targeting a trilogy fight with Holloway after suffering an injury TKO defeat at UFC 329.

McGregor (22-7) suffered an apparent knee injury seconds into the first round of a loss to Max in a comeback fight in Las Vegas.

Even with one fight remaining on his UFC contract, Conor’s future with the elite MMA promotion is unclear.

However, the Irishman, while responding to fans on social media recently, showed his interest in a trilogy with Holloway.