Justin Gaethje called out by fellow UFC Lightweight Dan Hooker: 'Nothing but respect'

Justin Gaethje suffered a quick defeat in the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov when attempting to unify the Lightweight Championship. Unfortunately for Justin Gaethje, he was submitted quickly in the second-round by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who defeated Dustin Poirier a year before in the third round and Conor McGregor in 2018 in the fourth round.

Ultimately, it turned out to be just another Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, though some argued that Justin Gaethje won the first round. That didn't matter at the end, and for Justin Gaethje, it's another uphill climb to the title.

Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement status still seems uncertain. Although he claims to have retired, Dana White refuses to vacate the title, stating that the Russian Lightweight king will fight again in an attempt to take his MMA record to a perfect 30-0.

Justin Gaethje, however, is looking for a quick turnaround and his manager Ali Abdelaziz stated that he would "smash" the #2, #3, and #4 ranked fighters - Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, and Conor McGregor.

In response, the #5 ranked Lightweight Dan Hooker called out Justin Gaethje and even got a respectful response from Abdelaziz:

I didn’t mention you because I don’t know you personally but you always put on a show and nothing but respect to you too

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) November 24, 2020

Does Dan Hooker make sense as Justin Gaethje's next opponent?

There would have been a few options for Justin Gaethje, but since Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are set to fight in January 2021, and Tony Ferguson will fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 256, Dan Hooker happens to be the highest-ranked opponent that Justin Gaethje can fight.

It would make a lot of sense, unless, of course, UFC newcomer Michael Chandler gets to fight Justin Gaethje in his debut for the promotion. Either way, it's hard to imagine Justin Gaethje taking a fight outside the top five, especially if he's looking for a quick turnaround.

Either way, Justin Gaethje will likely need another 2-3 wins before getting another title shot. The route might be clearer if Khabib Nurmagomedov is out of the picture, but that would also put Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, and Charles Oliveira in contention.

If Khabib Nurmagomedov, is, in fact, retired, then Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker could slot into the picture as well.