Gaethje could very well share the Octagon with Topuria sometime in 2026. He will first have to stop Paddy Pimblett’s momentum. Gaethje and Pimblett will battle each other for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship on January 24. The interim title fight will headline UFC 324, the top MMA promotion’s first event under the Paramount deal.
In an interview with ESPN SportsGaethje said that a confrontation with Topuria actually scares him in a good way (via MMAfighting).
“Ilia, I trust my A to B, I have to trust that,” Gaethje said. “I trust my instincts. I trust my ability to judge distance and time and just be there. This sport is so crazy. Anything can happen. There’s a reason why we’re all on the edge of our seats every fight, because anything can happen at any time. So again, it comes down to not making mistakes against a guy like that.”
“Don’t eat his right hand. Don’t run into his right hand. His left hook, his 2-3 is one of the best combinations I’ve seen in this sport, so it’s a nice challenge and I love how scared I’m going to be.”
Topuria will not be putting his gold on the line at UFC 324 as he is currently on hiatus. “El Matador” captured the 155-pound gold when he knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round in June. He had given up the featherweight title to get the shot at the lightweight championship.
Gaethje is closer to the end of his prizefighter career than ever before and has yet to win undisputed UFC gold. He is a former interim and BMF champion, but the undisputed award belongs to the 37-year-old. Only time will tell if he can bring back Pimblett and earn his final UFC title fight in 2026.
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