UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje appears to have had a change of heart about a potential rematch against former champ Ilia Topuria.
After Gaethje defeated Topuria via fourth-round TKO in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 in June, he said that he didn’t want to give the former champ a rematch, as there were other potential contenders who were more deserving.
But now that Topuria is set to return to the Octagon, it appears that Gaethje is willing to fight him for the second time.
Justin Gaethje Open to Ilia Topuria Rematch
Speaking to Joy of Everything, Gaethje admitted that he is now open to fighting Topuria for the second time.
“We’ll see. Time will tell. Am I willing to? I just beat the (expletive) out of him. Of course I would,” Gaethje said.
UFC Has Options at 155 lbs
While the rematch between Gaethje and Topuria is certainly an option for the UFC, there are other fighters who could get the next title shot at 155 lbs instead.
For example, Arman Tsarukyan fights Mauricio Ruffy this Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 331. Depending on who wins the fight and how they win it, the winner of that bout, especially if it’s Tsarukyan, could get the next crack at Gaethje’s belt.
Charles Oliveira, the former UFC lightweight champion and current BMF title holder, is certainly another option, though he is rumored to be fighting Diego Lopes later this year.
Paddy Pimblett is another fighter who could step in against Gaethje as well, even though he fought and lost to him earlier this year. But after beating Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329 quickly with a slick submission, Pimblett put himself back in line to potentially fight for the belt at 155 lbs.
We’ll see what the UFC ends up doing with the lightweight title, but at this point, it does feel like momentum is seriously building towards a rematch between Topuria and Gaethje, even though there are far other more deserving contenders waiting for their crack at the belt in the stacked UFC lightweight division who have more merit to fight Gaethje next.
Justin Gaethje Has Change of Heart About Ilia Topuria Rematch