Justin Gaethje made history at UFC 324 when he became the first two-time interim champion after beating Paddy Pimblett.
Gaethje (27-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) first got hands on interim gold in April 2020 when he defeated Tony Ferguson. He fell short in his unification bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov, but nearly six years, a rare second chance will come his way.
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With a unanimous decision victory over Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) now in the bank following Saturday’s headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Gaethje is now set up with another opportunity to dethrone and undefeated titleholder, this time in Ilia Topuria.
Topuria was meant to defend against PImblett at the event, but when personal issues arose, he stepped aside and that afford Gaethje the opportunity. He was determined to play spoiler and ruin the grudge match between Topuria and Pimblett, and followed through with that courtesy of a brilliant performance that included two knockdowns of “The Baddy.”
Topuria sent a stern post-fight message to Gaethje telling him he was “screwed” when they eventually share the octagon, and all sign point to that matchup happening this year.
Gaethje is emphatic he wants to fight at UFC White House in June, while Topuria indicated that would fit into his timeline of April to July.
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Although Arman Tsarukyan is the rightful top contender in this division and the biggest skill threat to Topuria, the UFC can’t go off track now. There needs to be value in creating an interim title, and in this instance there’s no reason to deviate.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 324 matchmaker: What’s next for Justin Gaethje after title win?
