Justin Gaethje is currently in limbo when it comes to the UFC lightweight title picture.
A vacant 155-pound belt is on the line in the main event of UFC 317 on June 28, but Gaethje is not one of the main competing for it. Instead, the undefeated Topuria fights former champion Charles Oliveira for the title recently left behind by Islam Makhachev. Topuria recently vacated his own title, the featherweight championship, to chase a second title, while Makhachev is moving up to welterweight to fight newly crowned champion Jack Della Maddalena.
According to UFC broadcaster Jon Anik, who spoke to Gaethje recently, “The Highlight” was not happy to hear the UFC 317 headliner announcement.
“He was pissed,” Anik said on The Anik & Florian Podcast. “He feels like certainly he was passed over in favor of Charles Oliveira for this opportunity against Ilia Topuria and I think what Justin Gaethje and his manager Ali Abdelaziz are looking for is just some sort of guarantee that they will be next because it’s May 19 and the good news for this Topuria-Oliveira fight is that it’s f*cking June 28, it’s less than six weeks away. So I don’t think it’s a crazy request for Justin, having done what he did against Rafael Fiziev, staying on the fight card, not fighting Dan Hooker, getting a win, distance from the UFC 300 result—and by the way, he fought at UFC 300 to help the UFC when he could have fought for the undisputed championship at that point in time—so I wouldn’t be surprised if Gaethje gets some sort of guarantee that he’s next for the Topuria-Oliveira winner.
“But I can just tell you Justin was not thrilled.”
Jon Anik: Justin Gaethje ‘was pissed’ to be passed over for UFC 317 title fight
Justin Gaethje reportedly wanted to headline UFC 317.
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