Justin Gaethje isn’t rushing back to the Octagon after a brutal first half of 2026, and that could put his highly anticipated rematch with Ilia Topuria on ice. ‘The Highlight’ has already fought twice this year, defeating Paddy Pimblett to capture the interim title in January before taking down the champion Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14.

After four crazy rounds, the Spanish-Georgian’s team threw in the towel to call the fight off, handing ‘The Highlight’ the throne. Now, with a stack of contenders chomping at the bit, Gaethje’s top priority is to get his body back in working order. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, the newly crowned lightweight kingpin revealed that he’s still feeling the effects of his latest war and isn’t even able to punch anything yet.

“It has been absolutely incredible,” Gaethje said. “I got to go home and recover a little bit for three weeks. I still can’t punch anything. Both of my hands are still hurt from the fight.

“So I’m just gonna enjoy being the champion for the rest of the year, because I fought two times already. I’m in the first six months. You know, put everything on paper, pros and cons, talk to all my family and everybody that loves me and that I trust to be honest with me, and then I’ll make the decision.”

Following the fight, ‘The Highlight’ was issued a 180-day medical suspension, pending MRI clearance for his right wrist and left knee.

Given the punishment he’s taken throughout his career, taking a few months off may be the best decision if he hopes to continue fighting amidst all the rumors surrounding his retirement.

The problem is that other contenders have already lined up to challenge his newly acquired throne. For now, however, Justin Gaethje appears content to enjoy being champion rather than immediately jumping back into another war, though this won’t be good news for the fighters that want a shot at him, especially Ilia Topuria.

Justin Gaethje doesn’t see Ilia Topuria rematch as his next fight

Following their chaotic title unification encounter, a rematch with Ilia Topuria appeared to be the inevitable next step. ‘El Matador’ entered the fight as the reigning lightweight champion and one of the sport’s biggest stars, but Justin Gaethje pulled off a historic upset in front of his home crowd.

But despite that fight being one of the biggest highlights for the American, he doesn’t seem convinced that they will run it back anytime soon.

“Yeah, I mean ultimately the UFC makes the decision who I’m gonna fight next,” he said in the same interview. “So, I mean, who knows what he would want. I mean, I guess if I’m not fighting till next year, he’s probably not gonna fight till next year too, seeing as he’s recovering from some things.

“But I don’t know. I don’t think that’s my next fight. I don’t feel it in my gut.”

Ilia Topuria sustained non-displaced fractures to both orbital bones as well as a broken nose during the fourth-round stoppage. However, since then he has shown significant progress, recently posting a photo of his face largely restored to normalcy, but a little scar still remained on his nose.

But it is worth noting that this isn’t the first time Justin Gaethje has expressed doubts about running the fight back. Immediately after their first encounter, he questioned whether Ilia Topuria quitting on the stool should lead to an immediate rematch.

“He’s such a pretty boy that he was so concerned about the blood so immediately, I hit him with the uppercut; he’s bleeding, and he starts touching it over and over again,” Gaethje said during the Paramount+ broadcast after his fight. “I am such a huge fan of this kid, but where do you go from here? It’s gonna be very tough to climb back from that.

“I would say definitely not a rematch. I mean, I made him quit on the stool; I was winning three rounds to one. In any election, that’s a domination.”

Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira believes the title shot should belong to him. After withdrawing from his scheduled bout with Arman Tsarukyan following the tragic death of his teammate Allan Nascimento, the former champion was linked to Diego Lopes, who has announced his move to lightweight.

However, ‘Do Bronxs’ recently revealed that the UFC has not offered him a new bout yet. That has not stopped him from making his intentions clear, though, since he believes he should be next in line for Justin Gaethje.

“I believe I’m next in line to fight for the title,” he said during a recent interview with Olhar da Luta. “So, I think that’s my thought, that’s my focus. I talked a lot with Diego (Lima). I think the fight schedule would be great in November or December; it would be really cool to have a fight, but we have to understand what the UFC is.

“Look, if I’m next in line and (Gaethje) only wants to fight next year, at the beginning of the year, why not wait? I’m not in a hurry; I can wait. But I’m sure I’m next in line. It can’t possibly be any other way, right?”

And if ‘The Highlight’ really intends to wait until early 2027, Charles Oliveira is more than willing to wait with him. For now, though, the champion’s priorities are far simpler. Justin Gaethje needs to heal, decide whether he wants to continue his career, and then pick who he wants to face next.