According to UFC commentator Jon Anik, Justin Gaethje has been left bitterly disappointed at being snubbed of his shot at the vacant UFC Lightweight Title.
Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira will instead fight for the 155-pound belt after Islam Makhachev vacated, leaving Gaethje now looking for other options for his next fight.
Justin Gaethje Left Seething After Missing Out On UFC Lightweight Title Shot
Following the announcement that Islam Makhachev’s next fight would mark a move up to welterweight later this year, the UFC Lightweight Title has now become vacant.
As the #3 ranked contender at 155-pounds, Justin Gaethje is certainly one of the fighters who would be in with a chance to fight for the vacant belt. However, that hasn’t quite played out in Gaethje’s favor, with two other fighters instead benefiting from the vacant title shot.
Instead, Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira will headline UFC 317 for the vacant UFC Lightweight Title. Oliveira, the former champion and #2 ranked fighter, deserves another shot at the belt. Topuria, who himself vacated the featherweight belt in favor of a move up to lightweight, will feel he is more than deserving of the shot too.
However, this has left a sour taste in the mouth of Gaethje, who himself believed he was in a perfect position to benefit from a UFC Lightweight Title shot at UFC 317. Instead, he will have to look elsewhere and fight another of the lightweight contenders.
Jon Anik, the UFC lead commentator, revealed in a recent episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast that ‘The Highlight’ isn’t best pleased about being snubbed for the vacant shot at UFC 317:
“I was with Justin Gaethje a lot this week, and he was p****d. He feels like certainly he was passed over in favor of Charles Oliveira for this opportunity against Ilia Topuria.
“I think what Justin Gaethje and his manager Ali Abdelaziz are looking for, is just some sort of guarantee they will be next,” Anik concluded.
Whether or not Gaethje will be next remains to be seen, but he may have to wait a little bit longer depending on what happens in the UFC 317 main event.
Who Will Justin Gaethje’s Next Fight Be Against Instead?
Following his exciting win over Rafael Fiziev in the UFC 313 rematch, Justin Gaethje was holding out hope for a shot at the vacant UFC Lightweight Title next. However, that obviously hasn’t worked out in his favor.
Now, ‘The Highlight’ will have to face another of the top 155-pound contenders before he gets his shot at UFC gold. As the #3 ranked fighter in the lightweight division, Gaethje could be in with a great chance at being the next challenger to the UFC 317 main event winner between Topuria and Oliveira.
In the meantime though, he will need another fight. Arman Tsarukyan is the #1 contender at lightweight, so that fight could happen. Max Holloway is ranked #4 and that fight doesn’t seem likely given Holloway’s dominant win and emphatic knockout of Gaethje at UFC 300 last year.
Instead, Gaethje might have to look even further down the rankings. One man that has been mentioned as a potential next fight for Gaethje is Paddy Pimblett.
Pimblett was last seen stopping Michael Chandler at UFC 314, and now has his sights set on the top 5. Gaethje is almost the perfect next opponent for ‘The Baddy’, with these fight rumors now gathering momentum.
Gaethje vs Pimblett is set to be officially announced by UFC President Dana White in the coming weeks, with UFC 319 the target event.
Should he beat Pimblett, then there is no denying that Justin Gaethje’s next fight after that should be against the Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira winner for the UFC Lightweight Title. Period.
