Justin Gaethje details "best case scenario" for last two fights involving Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway

Justin Gaethje recently outlined how he wants the final chapter of his fighting career to go.'The Highlight' made it clear that he's looking for a title shot against Ilia Topuria in his next outing before aiming for a potential UFC White House showdown against Max Holloway for a BMF title clash.

After Gaethje beat Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 in March, many expected the explosive striker to get the next lightweight title shot. However, the promotion ultimately booked Charles Oliveira against divisional newcomer Topuria for a fight for the vacant 155-pound title at UFC 318 last month.

In the aftermath, Gaethje made his disappointment clear and even threatened to retire if he wasn't given a title shot next. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Gaethje made another call for a title opportunity and detailed his dream "scenario" before retirement, saying:

"The best case scenario, the best chapter of my book. If it happens, I will believe this is a simulation - I beat Topuria this year, defend it against Holloway on the White House lawn, and retire with the BMF and the championship belt. There's no better way for me to write it, but I'm a little biased."

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Ilia Topuria doesn't think a Justin Gaethje fight would interest fans

While Justin Gaethje has a title fight against Ilia Topuria in his sights, the UFC lightweight king doesn't think it's an interesting clash for the fans. The Georgian-Spanish fighter recently shared his thoughts on a potential Gaethje fight and admitted that the division needed fresh contenders.

Speaking in an interview after his title win at UFC 317, Topuria addressed Gaethje as his potential future opponent and said:

"I don't think we have anyone else in the division. Fighting against Justin Gaethje, I don't think that's going to be something exciting for the fans. We need new blood in the division. We need new faces, new guys that come hungrier than the guys that we are used to seeing in the past, like Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, or the other guys. I want to bring new faces to the game." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch Ilia Topuria's full interview below:

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Nishant Zende.