At the moment, Justin Gaethje sits atop the UFC lightweight division after upsetting Ilia Topuria to capture the lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250 in June. At 37 years old, questions about how much longer ‘The Highlight’ intends to compete have naturally followed. However, according to his longtime manager, retirement is not on the immediate horizon.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, revealed that he expects the reigning lightweight champion to return in 2027 after taking some well-earned time away from competition.

“2027, we will see Justin Gaethje,” Abdelaziz said. “He fought two times this year. He deserves the time off. He’s still the lightweight champion, undisputed, and I think all these guys have to chase him. But he wants to be in a big fight – a big, big fight. What is the big fight? Who decides that? It’s Dana White who decides what’s the biggest fight they can make.

“If he retired today, I will be so happy because he did everything. And if he wants to choose to fight one more time, he can fight one more time because nobody tells him what to do. He’s the boss.”

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With that, Ali Abdelaziz made it clear that Gaethje is far from done, especially after capturing the lightweight championship. But even before his manager’s comments, the lightweight champion himself had indicated that he was not planning to retire from the UFC anytime soon.

Right after unifying the 155-pound title by defeating Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and admitted that since he had already fought twice this year, he would not “ever consider” fighting again in 2026. While ‘The Highlight’ did not explicitly state when he would return, his comments strongly suggested that a comeback next year is the most likely scenario, as his body will need time to recover after going through two grueling wars against Pimblett and Topuria.

In that sense, Ali Abdelaziz’s revelation that Gaethje is not retired stands. However, the manager’s ambitions extend well beyond simply bringing him back in 2027. For his part, Abdelaziz has his sights set on a blockbuster superfight against another one of his clients, the UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.

“At the end of the day, it just has to be a massive fight. You never know, bro,” he added when asked who Gaethje would fight next. “Ilia was supposed to fight Islam, right, if he had beaten Justin? Ilia didn’t beat Justin. There’s a lot of options. The UFC is so busy right now. Let them do what they do. We’re gonna sit down, and we’re gonna figure this out.”

Abdelaziz’s belief that Justin Gaethje can challenge Islam Makhachev in a superfight between the lightweight champion and the welterweight champion is not unrealistic at all.

On June 14, the Arizona native pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history by dismantling Ilia Topuria to get a fourth-round TKO victory. Before that fight, many had viewed the Georgian-Spaniard as the kryptonite to Makhachev’s reign. However, Gaethje’s indomitable performance did more than just shatter that perception.

‘The Highlight’s victory over a heavy favorite, ‘El Matador,’ has now firmly established him as the biggest threat to the Dagestani champion. Yet, the idea of Gaethje facing Makhachev is nothing new, considering the two had expressed interest in fighting each other last year.

After the Dagestani icon defeated Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in January 2025, he entertained the possibility of facing ‘The Highlight’ later that year. However, Topuria’s move to the lightweight division, followed by Makhachev’s decision to move up to welterweight in pursuit of a second title, completely derailed those plans. This year, however, his interest in the matchup appears to be gradually fading.

More recently, the Makhachkala native, who is set to face Ian Garry at UFC 330 this month, admitted in an interview that he is unsure what the future holds for Justin Gaethje. In that sense, the reigning welterweight champion appears indifferent about a potential clash with ‘The Highlight.’ However, it would not be a stretch to say that if Makhachev and Gaethje eventually meet, it would be a lucrative matchup for everyone involved, including Ali Abdelaziz, who manages both fighters and would gain monetary benefit from representing both sides.  

Still, a showdown between Gaethje and Makhachev appears to be a distant prospect for now, as the 37-year-old champion will likely need to defend his lightweight title at least once before making the jump. And reportedly, his next title challenger is expected to be finalized soon.

Justin Gaethje’s next challenge reportedly finalized, according to Ariel Helwani

The lightweight division is currently undergoing major developments that could significantly reshape the title picture. At UFC 331, Arman Tsarukyan will face Mauricio Ruffy in a five-round co-main event. Well, many found the matchup surprising because of the drastic gap in their rankings. However, reports later confirmed that Ruffy had replaced his compatriot Charles Oliveira, who apparently withdrew from the fight to mourn the passing of his teammate and friend, Allan Nascimento.

Amid those developments, prominent MMA reporter Ariel Helwani added more fuel to the speculation, confirming that the winner of Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy would earn a title shot against Justin Gaethje in 2027.

“A fight no one saw coming,” Helwani said on his YouTube channel. “Ruffy is ranked seventh. I am told Arman was told by the UFC brass that if he wins this fight, he’s getting a title shot.”

To clear up a bit of confusion, Mauricio Ruffy is currently ranked No. 7 in the media rankings. However, the AI rankings place him at No. 10, below Quillan Salkilld, who is set to face Mateusz Gamrot this weekend at the Meta Apex. Still, those rankings may not matter much if the Brazilian can upset the heavily favored Armenian in California, as a victory would reportedly vault him into the No. 2 contender spot and put him firmly in the title picture.

For now, though, Justin Gaethje appears content to take the remainder of the year off after two demanding title fights. While his next opponent has yet to be officially announced, Abdelaziz’s latest comments make one thing clear: retirement is not currently part of the champion’s plans. Whether his return comes against the next lightweight contender or eventually in a blockbuster showdown with Islam Makhachev is a decision that now rests with the UFC.