Mar 8, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Justin Gaethje (red gloves) reacts after fighting Rafael Fiziev (not pictured) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

mma

Justin Gaethje Reveals Roadmap After UFC 323 Interim Title Fight Against Paddy Pimblett

The lightweight division just got thrown into complete chaos. Ilia Topuria shocked everyone by announcing he’s taking a break from the sport to deal with personal matters. The champion knocked out Charles Oliveira to win the belt, then immediately stepped away from competition. Dana White could have kept the division frozen while waiting for Topuria’s return. Instead, he made the bold decision to book an interim title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 on January 24. It’s a matchup that has fans divided, with many questioning whether Pimblett has earned such a massive opportunity so quickly.

But Gaethje isn’t worried about the critics or the controversy. He’s focused on what happens after UFC 324 and the multiple scenarios that could unfold depending on Topuria’s next move. Speaking with Submission Radio, ‘The Highlight’ explained how Topuria’s rumored welterweight aspirations could work perfectly in his favor and set up the exact fights he’s been manifesting for months.

Justin Gaethje Reveals Dream Scenario

Gaethje has been paying close attention to Ilia Topuria’s comments about moving up to welterweight. Ever since knocking out Oliveira to become lightweight champion, Topuria has talked about following Islam Makhachev to 170 pounds for a historic superfight. If that happens, the interim champion would likely be promoted to undisputed status without needing to unify against Topuria.

“I guess I don’t really have an opinion on Topuria’s welterweight plan. I mean, if he went up, I would just be the champion which I’m not gonna complain about.”

That promotion would open up interesting possibilities for Gaethje’s next fights. The UFC recently announced that Max Holloway will defend his BMF title against Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 326. Both Holloway and Oliveira have defeated Gaethje in the past, so he carries losses against each man. But if Gaethje becomes the undisputed lightweight champion, he’d have leverage to demand a rematch against whoever wins that BMF title fight.

The Script Gaethje Has Been Speaking Into Existence

Justin Gaethje revealed he’s been manifesting this exact scenario for months now. After his victory over Rafael Fiziev, he started envisioning a specific path that would lead to holding both the lightweight championship and the BMF title simultaneously.

“Ultimately, that was the script I’ve been speaking into existence since the Fiziev fight. I thought I was gonna fight Ilia in January and then I was gonna fight Max or whoever had the BMF title on the White House card and then have both of those belts.”

Things didn’t work out exactly that way with Topuria stepping away, but the overall vision remains intact. If Gaethje beats Pimblett at UFC 324, then Topuria vacates to move up to welterweight, Gaethje becomes undisputed champion by default. From there, he could chase the BMF title against either Holloway or Oliveira and potentially achieve his goal of holding both belts.

(Image Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)

Charles Oliveira

Justin Gaethje

Max Holloway

Paddy Pimblett

UFC 324

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!