Since his arrival at the UFC’s doorstep in 2017, Justin Gaethje has been fighting in the deep end of the lightweight division. ‘The Highlight’ has had no easy fights, and after some initial setbacks, went on to produce show-stopping performances from finishing the likes of Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone, to exacting revenge against Dustin Poirier, by knocking him out to win the BMF belt. But two years ago, after his win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286, ‘The Highlight’ said the following, “I’m taking one more run at the title, but I ain’t gonna be around much longer, so I’m so glad you guys got to enjoy this with me.”

Preparing himself to face Rafael Fiziev again at UFC 313, Justin Gaethje is one step closer to fighting for the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev. But is retirement around the corner for ‘The Highlight’? While having a conversation with popular MMA journalist, Kevin Iole, Gaethje highlighted that he will not end his career in a loss, “No, no, no. I ain’t going out like that. If that happens again, I’m sure it will be it—but no.” He’s, of course, talking about his buzzer-beater knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300.

He further added, “I think the human body is very resilient, and I think it needs time. I took time. I took six months without getting hit, you know? I think we play the most violent sport in the world, but I don’t think it’s the most dangerous sport for that specific fact—that we can take time in between these traumatic brain injuries. You know, you see football players stacking two on top of each other in one season, and you see boxers take three in one night, and that’s detrimental.”

Notably, back in 2024, he made the exact statement that he would retire from the sport after getting slept again, “If I ever go to sleep, like I just went to sleep, I’m done. I’m not doing it two more times.” For now, retirement is not on the agenda for the former BMF titleholder, as he sets his sights on the UFC lightweight championship. Throughout his UFC career, Gaethje has battled the best—and fallen to the best. His last three losses came against Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Despite Dan Hooker pulling out of the UFC 313 bout, the fact that Justin Gaethje is willing to step up against a tough opponent he already beat should put him in title contention if he wins. Because if we’re being honest, he’s not going to be in a boring fight.

Justin Gaethje might demand a title shot after UFC 313

Before his clash against Max Holloway last year at UFC 300, Justin Gaethje was closer to getting a title shot considering Islam Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, on X, said that his champion would give ‘The Highlight’ a chance to claim the belt. However, Max Holloway derailed those plans as he knocked him out at UFC 300. A year later, Gaethje is on the hunt for the lightweight gold again.

While having a conversation with the media, the former BMF titleholder ascertained that he would fight for the title after dealing with UFC 313, “You know, it really doesn’t matter who it is, timing is everything in this sport, we saw what Dustin Poirier (did), I beat him and then he fought for the belt right after that and I think the timing is gonna line up well. I go in there and get a finish with an outstanding performance like I always do, I think I’ll be one of the guys that they consider to fight Makhachev.”

Islam Makhachev has defended his title four times in his career, and the lightweight champion is looking for something big to elevate his legacy. If Gaethji wins, this could give Islam Makhachev a good argument to face him, considering he’s skeptical of entertaining former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. How do you think Justin Gaethje will do at UFC 313? Do you think he’ll be able to pull off a victory to earn a title shot? Do let us know in the comments down below.