Justin Gaethje believes he is the rightful and deserving No. 1 contender to UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Gaethje, who won the BMF title earlier this year, is prepared to wait out anyone that steps in front of him for just that shot.
Justin Gaethje Declares Himself No. 1 Contender
For former interim and BMF champion Justin Gaethje, the opportunity to challenge Islam Makhachev is all that awaits him.
Makhachev, who defended his belt at UFC 294 this past weekend with a win over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, was scheduled to face former champion Charles Oliveira in a rematch.
While Oliveira believes he should be next, the timing of that bout is up in the air as he recovers from a cut.
Makhachev has also mentioned Gaethje and a possible run at the welterweight title as his top priorities.
“Who do I fight?” Gaethje said in an interview with ESPN. “There’s no one. I did what I had to do. I don’t know what else I need to do.”
The 34-year-old Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier in July for the BMF title at UFC 291. He also scored a March majority decision over Rafael Fiziev.
Justin Gaethje Hoping Third Time Is A Charm
Gaethje has twice before battled for the UFC lightweight title.
First, he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2020 for the belt in Abu Dhabi when he passed out while in a triangle choke. He had claimed the interim belt earlier this year with a finish of Tony Ferguson.
Two years later, Gaethje was matched up with Oliveira for the title. While Oliveira missed weight, he would go on to submit Gaethje but see his title get vacated in the process.
In 2014, Gaethje won the World Series of Fighting lightweight belt and defended it five times before signing with the UFC in 2017.
