Justin Gaethje teases next fight with hilarious Christmas meme, riling up MMA fans: "I'm fully er**t right now"

Justin Gaethje has not returned to the octagon since April when he suffered a vicious walk-off fifth-round knockout loss to Max Holloway with one second left in the bout at UFC 300. 'The Highlight' recently hinted at his next opponent in response to a fan.

@wonderbondmma took to X on Thursday, tweeting:

"Dear Santa: There’s only one thing I want for Christmas @Justin_Gaethje [United States flag] vs @danthehangman [New Zealand flag]"

Gaethje responded with a meme from the Home Alone film franchise that read:

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"Merry Christmas you filthy animal"

Check out the tweet from @wonderbondmma and response from Justin Gaethje below:

Gaethje's response brought out plenty of reactions from mixed martial arts fans. @brax_moore_more shared their excitement for the matchup, stating:

"I'm fully er**t right now"

@Willppp hopes that the matchup is a five-round bout:

"I want this to be a 5 rounder Let’s see a war"

@BSmackemup predicted that Gaethje will get back in the win column after a brutal loss in his last bout:

"LFG. Justin about to get back in the W column 😤 😤"

@Kr1sp_353 sees things going a bit differently, with Dan Hooker getting a vicious finish:

"Dan will do you worse than Holloway"

@knucklemmaa wants the two to clash at UFC 312 in Australia:

"Justin vs hooker for ufc 312 LFG"

Check out the best fan reactions below:

Justin Gaethje previously teased timeline for his return

Justin Gaethje has wisely taken time off to recover following his knockout loss at UFC 300. The No.3-ranked lightweight previously revealed a timeline for his return to the octagon while mentioning potential opponents.

Speaking to Helen Yee, 'The Highlight' was asked about a potential rematch with Michael Chandler, responding:

"No, I'm more interested in a rematch with [Charles] Oliveira or [Dustin] Poirier, but I prefer something new. I think me and Poirier would be a great fight if it is his last one... I'm content with the 1-1, hopefully he is. I think Dan Hooker, I don't know if [Alexander] Volkanovski is coming up, I know [Max] Holloway's coming back. I would love that rematch, but yeah being No.3, there's a lot of options. I told them I want to fight in March. So, March, think it's in Vegas. I'll be there."

Check out Justin Gaethje's comments on a potential timeline for his return:

Gaethje would have nearly a full year to recover from his knockout loss to Max Holloway. While he appeared to be next in line for a lightweight title opportunity before accepting the bout, the former BMF champion will look to re-establish himself in the title picture.

About the author

Caleb has been a sports writer for around five years and has plied his trade at Sportskeeda for the last two. Alongside being an MMA writer for the organization, he reports on boxing, college football, college basketball, and college baseball, and has also covered world-renowned leagues like the NBA and NFL. He has previously worked with FanSided Sports.

Caleb holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Purdue University, which now helps him to provide accurate information to his readers with a personalized touch. Being an MMA fan since childhood, Caleb’s Mt. Rushmore of fighters consists of Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

While writing an article, Caleb keeps clear of unreliable sources. His research process includes gaining the maximum knowledge on the topic through credible websites like UFC, ESPN, and Sherdog.

Outside of work, Caleb likes watching and playing sports.

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Edited by Gerard Crispin