"I'll let him go first" - Justin Gaethje promises to fight Islam Makhachev if 'The Highlight' becomes the UFC lightweight champion next year

Justin Gaethje has claimed he will give Islam Makhachev the first crack at UFC championship gold if 'The Highlight' wins the gold in 2022.

The No. 2-ranked UFC lightweight told MMA Fighting he's excited for a potential Makhachev bout.

"Of course, yeah, I'll let him go first if he gets the spot. I'll beat one of these guys and I'll allow him to go first, so f*** yeah I'm looking forward to that."

Check out Justin Gaethje's MMA Fighting interview below:

Over the past few weeks, Justin Gaethje showed increasing animosity towards Islam Makhachev. After Makhachev's UFC 267 fight, 'The Highlight' informed Daniel Cormier that the Russian should not compete for the belt next after beating Dan Hooker.

Makhachev's close friend and teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov, submitted Gaethje in the final fight of his MMA career. He also recently said on social media that the Russian lightweight fighter should be the one fighting for the belt next and not Gaethje.

“In last 8 fight, you got finished 3 times Justin. You had an opportunity to become champion, but you fell asleep,” Nurmagomedov wrote, adding a sleeping face emoji. [Islam Makhachev] is on the 9 win streak, 3 fight in 2021 and all finishes. Just shut up and admit that Islam deserves this title shot, not you.”

A week after Makhachev's dominant win over 'The Hangman', Justin Gaethje stepped into the octagon for a three-round war against top contender Michael Chandler.

The two hard-hitting lightweights took each other to the limit and, eventually, it was Gaethje who won the fight.

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Could Justin Gaethje get the next shot at either Charles Oliveira or Dustin Poirier in 2022?

Justin Gaethje is currently the No.2-ranked lightweight in the UFC and seems to be in prime position to challenge for the lightweight title. A former interim champion, Gaethje's goal will be to win undisputed gold in 2022.

On the back of a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020, Justin Gaethje made his return to the octagon after a gap of more than a year. He looked incredible in his return fight against Michael Chandler.

Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev is currently ranked at No. 4 and has beaten the likes of Drew Dober, Thiago Moises and Dan Hooker in his past outings.

It is safe to say that Gaethje's resume is far more impressive as of now. He could very well be in line for a fight against 'Do Bronx' or a rematch against 'The Diamond' in the near future.