'I have a list'… Justin Gaethje names four potential opponents including Fight of the Year trilogy as he gears up for UFC return
13/09/2024 11:06
Back in April at the monumental UFC 300 event, Justin Gaethje lost his BMF title in devastating fashion after getting knocked out by Max Holloway in the final seconds of their incredible fight.
Following the loss to Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje admitted that he was going to take a considerable amount of time away from sparring and fighting as he wanted to recover properly instead of returning to contact too soon.
The former title challenger was likely only one win away from another title shot after impressive back-to-back wins against Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier.
Justin Gaethje lists four potential comeback opponents including Dustin Poirier rematch
Five months removed from his loss to ‘Blessed’ Holloway, ‘The Highlight’ is seemingly getting itchy feet and is seriously considering an early return to the Octagon.
Fortunately for the 35-year-old, the lightweight division isn’t exactly moving quickly without him. Current champion, Islam Makhachev is out of action till next year with an arm injury and the top five of the 155lb rankings haven’t changed much over the year.
One fighter that has hit a recent career resurgence is Dan Hooker and following his recent win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305, ‘The Hangman’ called for Gaethje as a potential opponent.
“Yeah, Dan Hooker, I have a list, I think Hooker, (Charles) Oliveira, (Dustin) Poirier, and (Alexander) Volkanovski is a list of four people that I think any of those would do for me what I need to do to get back in the (title) picture,” Volkanovski told the media at a mini scrum this past Thursday.
In 2018, Gaethje and Poirier met in the Octagon for the first time and put on a Fight of the Year fight. ‘The Diamond’ secured a fourth-round stoppage and went on to become the interim champion.
Last year at UFC 291, Gaethje got his revenge against Poirier, knocking him out in round two of their BMF title fight, opening the door up for a tantalizing trilogy.
Charles Oliveira would be another rematch for ‘The Highlight’ after ‘Do Bronx’ successfully defended the title against him in 2022.
“He whooped my ass, I’d like to fight him again, crazy game,” Gaethje stated.
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Justin Gaethje is not done chasing undisputed UFC gold
Although on several occasions Gaethje has admitted that he doesn’t want to go through the long process of chasing the title again after a few failed attempts, the 35-year-old has stated that he doesn’t feel like he is done yet and is hoping to earn another undisputed title shot.
“I’m not out of (the title picture), I’m not out of it right now, I’m not out of it tomorrow. This sport is so crazy, like I said Poirier lost to me and then got to fight for the belt.
“I do not believe I have reached that point (of not being able to win undisputed gold), whether I’m the champion or not, who knows, it’s so hard to put a time if I ever go to sleep like I just did (against Holloway), I’m done,” Gaethje continued.
