Michael Chiesa thinks Justin Gaethje deserves a UFC lightweight title shot.
Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) has voiced his discontent with the UFC giving Charles Oliveira the vacant title fight against Ilia Topuria instead of him. He also had to watch Paddy Pimblett (22-4 MMA, 7-0 UFC) get to face off with Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) after he knocked out Oliveira at UFC 317.
Gaethje’s disappointment comes from doing the UFC a solid by defending his BMF title against Max Holloway at UFC 300. He ended up getting knocked out, before rebounding with a win over short-notice replacement Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. Chiesa wants to see Gaethje rewarded for his overall body of work in the UFC.
“There are some people saying it’s gonna be Paddy,” Chiesa told MMA Junkie. “You put some big fights together early, 2026, we’re not going to see Topuria in the rest of the ESPN era. I think if Ilia was going to fight in December, I feel like we’d be hearing about it by now because that’s not that far away. I’ve heard it could be Paddy, and I’ve heard it could be Justin. For the Justin fight, yes it’s a tough matchup for him, but worst-case scenario, even if Justin wins the title, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. He’s one of the most beloved fighters on the roster. For me, as a fighter, a big part of me feels like, you know what? Give Justin Gaethje that title fight because we only have him for just this much longer.
“He took a huge chance when he fought Max. Whether (the UFC) promised him something or not, I don’t know that. Nobody knows the truth except for Justin. But you know what? Just give the guy the fight. He earned it. He has earned it in blood. He has earned it through his efforts, through all he has given us and left us. He has given us things he will never get back through the course of him having this goal of entertaining us fans. So just give him the fight. It’s a win-win scenario. The Paddy fight’s always going to be there because those guys have youth on their side. Justin Gaethje doesn’t have youth on his side. For Arman (Tsarukyan), unfortunately he’s got to win one more.”
Tsarukyan, who acknowledges that he likely has to win one more fight, appears to think Pimblett will get the title shot over Gaethje.
