Morning Report: Justin Gaethje wonders if potential Paddy Pimblett fight means UFC doesn't 'need me anymore'

23/07/2025 14:00

Justin Gaethje isn't demanding a title shot, but he's unclear on what the UFC has planned for him.

"The Highlight" is one one of the promotion's most exciting fighters and has been a mainstay in the rankings for the better part of the past decade. He has twice had the opportunity to compete for the lightweight title, and though he's fallen short, he feels his résumé and reputation should be enough for him to be considered for another championship fight.

In his most recent outing, the 36-year-old defeated Rafael Fiziev to make it three wins in his past four fights. Gaethje has recently expressed his frustration over the UFC seemingly freezing him out of the title picture and he didn't hold back when asked about being linked to possible No. 1 contender matchups with Arman Tsarukyan or Paddy Pimblett.

"Absolutely not," Gaethje told ESPN when asked specifically about fighting Pimblett. "If that's the route that they want me to take, then I don't believe that they need me anymore. You know what I mean? I know that sounds petty or whatever, but I'm No. 3. I'm 3-1 in my last four. The champion was calling to fight me. They vacated. They bring a new guy in and they give a guy that's 2-2 the fight.

"So if their algorithm and their math tells them just to use me until I get beat, then I'm going to have to really reevaluate what I'm doing here because I signed up for a merit-based system. I have lived by that and if they want to give Arman the fight - which Arman shit the bed, had the fight - I had the fight, but I took another fight for them. He had the fight, but pulled out because his back hurt. Those are two different scenarios, for me to get put in the same position as him, and have to fight for my spot, then no, I'm going to be upset about that."

Gaethje had previously campaigned to challenge Islam Makhachev for a UFC title, but it was announced Makhachev was moving up to welterweight, leaving a vacant belt up for grabs that was subsequently won by former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. Topuria delivered a thudding knockout of Charles Oliveira and was then immediately presented with a potential challenger in longtime rival Pimblett, who was invited by Joe Rogan to step into the cage for an impromptu faceoff.

UFC CEO Dana White later said Pimblett was not authorized to confront Topuria, and Gaethje had no intention of playing along with that scenario.

"I knew that it was a mistake, I knew that it wasn't the UFC's doing, I knew it was kind of just what was happening because of the environment with Joe calling him in," Gaethje said. "I was obviously upset. My nephew was there with me, I walked out with both of my fingers in the air. At first, while [Topuria] was doing his interview, they were trying to put me and Arman in camera frame together because I was trying to exit, he was right behind me, and they were filming him and I kept moving to get out of the way so they could film him and they kept readjusting and putting me in frame.

"I was like, 'What are you doing?' He's pointing at both of us two saying he was trying to get us in a frame together. So as Paddy and him are in there, they're trying to put me and Arman in a frame and I was like, 'F*ck you. Get that f*cking camera away from me. You f*cking wish that you were going to do this right now. Go f*ck yourself.'"

In recent interviews, Gaethje has seemingly laid out an ultimatum for the UFC, but he hasn't been explicitly clear about what he might do if presented with unfavorable matchmaking. Gaethje is stopping short of threatening retirement, but he's not happy with the current state of the contender line either.

"I don't even want to entertain that conversation because like I said, I have all the desire to compete," Gaethje said. "If I felt that in any way, then I would be done here. I just want to—obviously, from a biased perspective—be recognized as the most consistent and one of the top guys in the world. I did what I did. How many more fights do I have to—if I fight fights where if they win they get a championship and then I win and it's still I'm maybe going to have to fight someone else, this is not the situation that I wanted to get myself in and this is the situation I'm going to keep myself from. And that's where we're at."

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VIDEO STEW

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Fighter vs. Writer. MMA Fighting's Damon Martin talks to UFC analyst Alan Jouban about the retirement of his fellow Louisianian Dustin Poirier, whether Max Holloway can get a rematch with Ilia Topuria, and more.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

The essential combat sports schedule.

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No skips.

McGrillen vs. Garnett if there's any justice in this world.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Navajo Stirling (7-0) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (12-2-1, 1 NC); UFC Perth, Sept. 28

Doo Ho Choi (16-4-1) vs. Daniel Santos (13-2); UFC Perth, Sept. 28

Colby Thicknesse (7-1) vs. Josias Musasa (8-1); UFC Perth, Sept. 28

Loma Lookboonmee (10-3) vs. Alexia Thainara (12-1); UFC Perth, Sept. 28

Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1, 1 NC) vs. Alex Pereira (12-3) 2;UFC 320, Oct. 4

Merab Dvalishvili (20-4) vs. Cory Sandhagen (18-5); UFC 320, Oct. 4

Edmen Shahbazyan (15-5) vs. Andre Muniz (24-7); UFC 320, Oct. 4

Jiri Prochazka (31-5-1) vs. Khalil Rountree (14-6, 1 NC); UFC 320, Oct. 4

Vitor Petrino (12-2) vs. Thomas Petersen (10-3); UFC Rio, Oct. 11

Tom Aspinall (15-3) vs. Ciryl Gane (13-2);UFC 321, Oct. 25

FINAL THOUGHTS

Ehhhhh we got some fights coming up! UFC 320 and UFC 321 were without headliners, but now we have three more title fights scheduled for October. Even though they all make sense on paper, are you satisfied?

Also, with Jed Meshew on vacation this week, there will be no Morning Report on Thursday, but we'll be back Friday.

EXIT POLL

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