Justin Gaethje impressed the entire world with a high-octane performance against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. Even though he couldn’t secure the win by a finish, the entirety of the 15 minutes was as entertaining as it could get. After all, the audience at T-Mobile Arena simply couldn’t stop applauding the battle. However, there were a few concerns regarding ‘The Highlight’s future.

Needless to say, Gathje was upset about having to fight someone way below him in the lightweight rankings. Now, he wanted to fight someone standing higher and work his way to the top of the list. So, who should the former BMF champion fight next? Let’s zoom into the scenario, shall we?

1. A title fight against Islam Makhachev

At the UFC 313 post-fight press conference, Gaethje revealed his interest in fighting Islam Makhachev. He said, “I want to fight for the belt obviously, it’s a much different matchup than I just had. They tried to give me a donut, I took a bit but I gotta get back to running if I’m going to fight Makhachev. I have to get my Jiu-Jitsu coach out here, really it’s just confidence. He’s a tough matchup for anyone, he’s so good, so strong. Going to have to have a perfect night if I want to beat him.”

On the other hand, the lightweight champion was also in for a matchup. Islam Makhachev has repeatedly asked for a fresh name to fight. And Justin Gaethje was one of the names that seemed to excite the Dagestani champion. During a media scrum at IXA Boxing event in Dubai, Makhachev revealed, “There is Gaethje, who I would say deserved a fight. I think it would be more interesting to fight him.”

A title shot against Makhachev would be the ultimate test for Gaethje in the lightweight realm. He has been impressing the fight fans and winning fight night awards. He was even the BMF champion. With 9 wins, 5 defeats, and 14 fight night awards within 8 years, ‘The Highlight’ does deserve a quick bout against the champ. If not, he can still work his way up in the rankings.

2. Rematch against Charles Oliveira to set things straight

Being the #3 lightweight contender, Gaethje can probably get a fight against Charles Oliveira, who stands at #2 in the list. The duo have already fought once at UFC 274, and the bout went in favor of ‘Do Bronx’. Well, the Brazilian exploited his superior BJJ skills and submitted ‘The Highlight’ within the very first round. Now, Gaethje seemed pretty clear about a rematch against Oliveira. 

During the post-fight press conference for UFC 286, Gaethje said, “I fought like a complete idiot when I fought Oliveira, so I’d love to have that fight back.” To be fair, both fighters have evolved since their last battle in the Octagon. Oliveira had become a lightweight champion and a rematch would further cement either fighter’s legacy in the golden pages of UFC history.

3. A curious matchup for #1 spot against Arman Tsarukyan

During an appearance on ‘The MMA Hour’ with Ariel Helwani, following his win over Beneil Dariush, Arman Tsarukyan expressed his desire to fight Gaethje. He said, “I need someone who definitely after that fight I’m going to get title fight. It’s like, Gaethje or Oliveira… If I beat Oliveira or Gaethje I’m like, 99.9 percent to fight for the title.” Of course, it was a time when Tsarukyan wasn’t the #1 lightweight contender. But then he defeated Oliveira and secured a bout against Makhachev. Yet, that was a disappointment as their match scheduled for UFC 311 never really happened because of Tsarukyan’s injury. 

But defeating Gaethje would put him back on track for the title shot. And the same was true for ‘The Highlight’. If he manages to defeat ‘Akhalkalakets’, he can step on to becoming the new #1 lightweight contender in the UFC. And that would put him next in line for a shot at the championship title. It’s 

Who do you think Gaethje should go up against after watching his performance against Fiziev at UFC 313? Do you think there’s another more deserving fighter to get a chance to fight ‘The Highlight’? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.