Justin Gaethje's retirement threat backfires as Dana White gets 100% real about title shot demand at UFC 317: "You should probably retire"  

Justin Gaethje's retirement claim has backfired following UFC CEO Dana White’s recent comments at the UFC 317 post-fight press conference, where he suggested that Gaethje might want to consider hanging up the gloves.

Gaethje had previously designed an ultimatum around the winner of Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira. The 36-year-old secured a unanimous decision victory in his last outing against Rafael Fiziev earlier this year and now seems adamant about a title shot.

'The Highlight' had stated that he would consider retirement if he did not receive the next shot at lightweight gold. Gaethje fell short in both of his previous attempts to capture the undisputed title, suffering submission defeats against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Oliveira.

Topuria secured a Round 1 knockout over 'do Bronx' and was crowned the 155-pound champion in the main event of UFC 317. He is now rumored to face either Paddy Pimblett or Arman Tsarukyan for his first title defense. Thus, a potential matchup against Gaethje seems unlikely to materialize anytime soon.

Gaethje believed that the promotion owed him a favor for stepping in and fighting Max Holloway at UFC 300, a bout in which he suffered a devastating knockout defeat. However, his comments have now backfired after White refused to entertain his demands. The UFC CEO said:

"If you're thinking about retiring, you know how I feel about that. You should probably retire. We love Justin Gaethje, and Justin Gaethje did step up, and he has been an exciting, fun fighter to have here in the UFC. But, to say — I am retiring if I don't get a title shot — that's pretty wacky."

Check out Dana White's comments below (20:38):