Who does Justin Gaethje want to fight in the UFC next?

Justin Gaethje recently stated that he would like to fight Dustin Poirier when he returns to the octagon.

'The Highlight' last fought Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight championship in his latest outing in the UFC. Gaethje lost via submission in the first round and is yet to return to the octagon.

Gaethje and Poirier previously fought back in 2018 at UFC on FOX 29. 'The Highlight' lost against 'The Diamond' in the fourth round in the card's headlining bout. Poirier also lost his most recent bout, when the American was submitted by Oliveira in the third round at UFC 269.

While speaking to MMA Mania, Gaethje said this about a future bout against Poirier:

Ideally, Poirier beats Chandler, I’d like to fight Poirier. I mean, he beat me. That’s one win I’d like to get back. It was Fight of the Year, Fight of the Decade — Fight of a Couple Years, probably. That was a hell of a fight. That’s ideal.

Watch Gaethje in action here:

Justin Gaethje will likely have to wait until 2023 if he wants to take on Dustin Poirier. 'The Diamond' is set to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira next month. If Poirier was to lose against Chandler, it would put 'The Diamond' on a two-fight losing streak in the UFC. Regardless, Gaethje would seemingly still be interested in fighting the fellow American.

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Does Justin Gaethje have a good UFC record?

Despite Justin Gaethje being a well-known name in the MMA world, the American has a surprisingly average UFC record. Since joining the organization in 2017, 'The Highlight' has won six fights and lost four bouts.

However, Gaethje has spent most of his UFC career fighting the very best fighters in the organization. The 33-year-old only lost against Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. All of these fighters are well-respected names in the UFC, with three of them former UFC champions and Poirier being former interim champion.

Justin Gaethje's UFC victories have also come against tough opposition. He defeated the likes of Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone - among other high-level opponents.

'The Highlight' currently doesn't have another fight booked in the UFC, but is seemingly keen to face Dustin Poirier for a second time as mentioned above.