Justin Gaethje is staying in the game after capturing the undisputed lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250, and he’s making it clear he’s not done fighting or negotiating.
Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria by fourth-round corner-stoppage TKO at the White House event to claim the belt, then confirmed he’s putting retirement plans on hold. “Right now, I’m planning on (continuing fighting),” Gaethje said. “There’s not something natural in me that feels like it’s over. So that’s all I can say.”
He also shut down the idea of an immediate rematch for Topuria. “No. He doesn’t get a rematch,” Gaethje said. “He can try, but he doesn’t get one. He quit on the stool. He quit twice. I stopped him twice. What else do I have to f*cking do? His next challenge can’t be me. He needs to fight Paddy (Pimblett) or someone like that.”
Gaethje acknowledged Arman Tsarukyan as a worthy contender, while other names in the mix include Charles Oliveira and the winner of the UFC 329 headliner between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway on July 11.
Coming off UFC 300, UFC 324, and now UFC Freedom 250, Gaethje is pushing hard for better pay and a new kind of deal. “I'm in a place where I deserve to be compensated for what I have done,” he said, later adding, “I’m talking about the UFC should make a company and give me equity in that company so I can build passive income like that.”
