Justin Gaethje names Conor McGregor as his preferred first UFC title challenger, says it will be ‘fun to shut him up’

Justin Gaethje believes he has few obvious contenders left to face after defeating Ilia Topuria for the undisputed lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. However, the newly crowned champion already has one name in mind for his first title defence: Conor McGregor.

Speaking to Paramount Plus, Gaethje said he would prefer a fight against McGregor over potential rematches with Max Holloway or Charles Oliveira, both of whom have previously defeated him. Gaethje's reasoning is that Topuria has already beaten both fighters.

"Damn, there's really no one," Gaethje said. "It 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. So I guess McGregor. Fun to shut him up.”

Conor McGregor's comeback ends in injury

McGregor, 38, returned to the Octagon in July following a five-year absence. His comeback lasted just 69 seconds against Holloway before a right leg injury forced the fight to be stopped.

The former two-division champion, who previously held the UFC featherweight and lightweight titles, has not recorded a victory since beating Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 246 in 2020.

Gaethje later adopted a more serious tone when discussing his future as champion. He brought up Arman Tsarukyan, who had been scheduled to face Oliveira at UFC 331 before being replaced by Mauricio Ruffy.

Gaethje also reflected on the significance of finally becoming the undisputed lightweight champion after spending much of his UFC career as either a challenger or an interim titleholder.

"It's such a weird place to be in," Gaethje said. “There's always ​been a champion, I've ​always had somebody ⁠to chase. Now, being the champion, it's like I just have to retain and hold onto what I have. I'm not ​looking at specific opponents; I know the best in the ​world are ⁠gunning for me. So that is the name of the game. I know that it's going to be one of the best guys in the world.”

He added, "Arman was fighting ⁠Oliveira, ​now he's fighting someone else, so there's a couple ​of big fights that are going to determine who I'll fight next."

Gaethje's next fight won't be until ​2027. He is still recovering from a hand injury sustained against Topuria.

(With inputs from Reuters)