Former UFC champion predicts next opponent of Justin Gaethje

Former UFC champion Michael Bisping has predicted the next opponent of lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

Gaethje dethroned former lightweight UFC champion Ilia Topuria, winning the title unification fight by TKO at UFC Freedom 250.

Before defeating ‘El-Matador’, Gaethje got rid of Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision at UFC 324 on January 25, 2026, to win the interim UFC lightweight championship.

In terms of what the future holds, though, there are a few different ideas floating around, including a rematch against Topuria, a rematch against Paddy Pimblett, or a showdown with rising star Arman Tsarukyan.

There are many rumours about Gaethje’s next move, including a rematch against Topuria or Pimblett, or a showdown with rising star Arman Tsarukyan.

Gaethje recently said that there are two options ahead of him: retire or fight Tsarukyan, but he made it clear that he has not decided on either one.

In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Bisping shared his thoughts on what is going to happen both for Justin Gaethje and others at the top of the lightweight division.

“But back to the original question, when is he [Gaethje] going to fight? Is he going to fight?” Bisping said.

“And is it going to be Ilia or is it going to be Arman Tsarukyan? I talked about it all this week and last week on the TV, on the podcast, on YouTube, right? Arman Tsarukyan is now undeniable.

“I think Paddy fights Ilia and I think Justin Gaethje will fight again.”

Bisping added that he believes that at the end of the year we will get an announcement about Gaethje fighting Tsarukyan.

“Will it be one more [for Gaethje]? I don’t know,” he explained.

“It might be two or three more. We just don’t know. And I’m saying that because I want Justin to come back and you want Justin to come back and everybody wants him to come back.

“And who knows, maybe playing it like this might get him a few more bucks. But regardless, I’ve got a pretty good feeling that within the next couple of months or certainly by the end of the year, we will get an announcement that Justin Gaethje will be fighting Arman Tsarukyan for the undisputed lightweight championship of the world. That’s just my thought.”