Justin Gaethje (image via YouTube)

By FCF Staff

If Justin Gaethje defeats Max Holloway this coming Saturday at UFC 300, it doesn’t sound like the BMF champ will be calling to fight Islam Makhachev next.

Following Gaethje’s memorable, knockout of Dustin Poirier last summer, many observers argued or believed he would challenge for the lightweight title. But, the UFC ended up booking Gaethje to fight Holloway at UFC 300, and recently, Makhachev has been calling for a fight with Poirier this summer.

As this Saturday’s card approaches, Gaethje spoke with MMA Junkie.  While doing so, 35-year-old reported he doesn’t intend to fight again until later in 2024.

“Ideally, they’re calling this Oliveira-Tsarukyan fight a title eliminator, so the winner of that fight fights (Makhachev) in June, then I fight the winner of that in preferably Madison Square Garden in November,” Gaethje said. “That sounds like a perfect timeline for me. I’ll definitely have my time to rest, recovery and retrain myself to get ready for that fight. That’s the perfect situation for me. We’ll see if Oliveira sh*ts the bed again. I think if Tsarukyan wins he takes it because they are calling this a title eliminator, so whoever wins is going to have to fight that fight.”

Oliveira and Tsarukyan are also scheduled to fight at UFC 300 on Saturday. On account of Tsarukyan’s 8-2 record in the UFC to date, and because he narrowly lost to Makhachev in 2019, many believe a victory could entrench his title shot.

Currently, Gaethje is ranked #2 in the UFC’s lightweight division and Oliveira is #1. Tsarukyan is #4 and Poirier is #3.

UFC 300 will be hosted by the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.