Justin Gaethje’s last fight in UFC was against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 in 2020. The Highlight suffered a loss via submission against The Eagle. Since that defeat, Justin wanted a quick fight to return to the top of the lightweight division. However, the American had to wait as all the top-ranked lightweights were booked against each other. As a result, Justin Gaethje has been frustrated with playing the waiting game.
Recently a rumour started to surface from an Instagram dm that Gaethje is considering taking retirement from the UFC. This rumour came from one of his sparring partners at Elevation fight team co. In that DM his sparring partner Ryan Charlebois hinted that The Highlight has been discussing with his team about taking retirement.
This is straight BS. I’m far from done from chasing that high. I’m also guessing this dude fabricated this entire thing 😂 https://t.co/NVccYeRH0l
— Justin Gaethje 🇺🇸 (@Justin_Gaethje) June 15, 2021
This rumour about Gaethje’s retirement spread like a wildfire on Twitter. However, Justin Gaethje cleared all the rumours on Twitter. He clarified that “This is straight BS. I’m far from done from chasing that high. I’m also guessing this dude fabricated the entire thing.”
What’s next for Justin Gaethje in the UFC?
After Michael Chandler failed to defeat Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 for the vacant Lightweight belt. The Iron has dropped to number 4 in the rankings of the lightweight division. As a result, It makes the best sense for the UFC to book Micheal Chandler vs Justin Gaethje in the fall or late UFC As Both the fighters are coming off a loss and as per the current rankings scenarios, this is the best fight to make.
This fight would grab the eyeballs of many people as both the fighters are very entertaining and have an aggressive fighting style hence the fans would love to see this fight take place. However, if this fight cannot be made then the next best option for Justin Gaetjhe is to face either Beniel Dariush or Rafael Dos Anjos. As Beniel Dariush has a good streak of wins going his way and if The Highlight manages to stop Dariush he will be in top contention for the title shot.
Nonetheless, fans will be just wishing that Justin Gaetjhe comes back in the octagon to face anyone be it, Michael Chandler or any other top-ranked fighter in the division.
Also read: Dana White Expresses Interest in a Potential Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler Next