UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has clarified who his next fight will be against.

Following a stunning TKO (via corner stoppage) victory over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250, Gaethje got his hands on the 155lbs title for the first time.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 14: Justin Gaethje strikes Ilia Topuria of Spain in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

While Topuria was badly battered, Gaethje took a fair share of beating too. In fact, ‘El Matador’ has been cleared to fight, while ‘The Highlight’ is still recovering from hand injuries.

Gaethje recently appeared on the Flagrant podcast and told Andrew Schulz and other co-hosts who he would fight next:

He’s [Arman Tsarukyan] the next in line. If and when I defend this championship, that will be who I fight. I just don’t know right now…It cost me a lot. I need to recover…I’m just going to enjoy being the champion for the rest of the year. I’m going to make a business decision and a life decision whenever the time comes.

Check out Justin Gaethje’s comments below:

Justin Gaethje’s Potential Opponent Arman Tsarukyan Is coming off a Stunning Win at UFC 331

Arman Tsarukyan, who, according to Justin Gaethje, is ‘next in line’ (for ‘The Highlight’), recently earned a stunning KO win at UFC 331.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia knocks out Mauricio Ruffy of Brazil in a lightweight fight during the UFC 331 event at Crypto.com Arena on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC)

‘Batman’ took on the surging Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event and scored a brutal KO (via an elbow) in the dying seconds of the very first round, snapping the Brazilian’s two-fight winning streak.

Irrespective of Gaethje’s claim, the win has the 29-year-old as the favorite to fight for the lightweight title next.

Gerard Crispin

Gerard Crispin is an editor and writer with expertise across MMA, Football, Tennis, Cricket, NBA and F1. He has published over 3500 articles in Combat Sports, across multiple websites, viz. Sportskeeda, FanSided MMA, MediaReferee, FirstSportz and PFSN. Crispin currently covers UFC for LowKickMMA.