Justin Gaethje's Next Move

Justin Gaethje confirmed he won't fight again in 2026 as he continues recovering from hand injuries sustained across two fights already this year — a back-and-forth win over Paddy Pimblett in January and a stoppage upset of Ilia Topuria at UFC White House in June.

"I still can't punch anything. Both of my hands are still hurt from the fight so I'm just going to enjoy being the champion for the rest of the year because I fought two times already in the first six months. Put everything on paper, pros and cons, talk to my family and everybody that loves me to be honest with me and then I'll make a decision," Gaethje

Gaethje has hinted he still intends to fight again, though he remains cool on an immediate rematch with Topuria, pointing out that Topuria couldn't continue after the fourth round in their fight.

"Ultimately the UFC makes the decision on who I'm going to fight next. I guess if I'm not fighting until next year, [Topuria is] probably not going to fight until next year, too, seeing as he's still recovering from some things. I don't think that's my next fight, in my gut," Gaethje