Justin Gaethje has poured cold water on any notion that a Gaethje Pimblett rematch is somehow written in the stars. Asked on The Pat McAfee Show this week whether the two lightweights were destined to meet again, the newly crowned champion did not hesitate: “Destined for each other to fight again? No. No, no, no.”

It was a blunt answer to a loud callout, and it lands just as Paddy Pimblett has forced his way back into the title conversation. The Liverpudlian’s timing was theatrical, his rejection swift, and the division around them remains anything but settled.

The backstory matters here. In January 2026, Gaethje comprehensively outpointed Pimblett to claim the interim lightweight belt, a one-sided beating that appeared to shove “Paddy The Baddy” well down the pecking order. Gaethje then went on to become undisputed champion in June 2026, stopping Ilia Topuria at the UFC’s White House event after four punishing rounds.

Pimblett’s Response

Pimblett’s response was to remind everyone why he draws eyeballs. In the co-main event of UFC 329 at Las Vegas, he submitted France’s Benoit Saint-Denis with a D’arce choke in just 52 seconds, putting his opponent to sleep and vaulting himself straight back into the picture.

Basking in the win inside the cage, Pimblett called out just about everyone. “I’ll beat Ilia up, I’ll rematch Justin, I’ll fight Conor or Max next,” he said, naming Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, who were minutes away from headlining the same card.

That main event turned into a nightmare for McGregor. The Irishman suffered an injury inside 69 seconds of his first fight in five years, an anticlimactic end to one of the sport’s most anticipated comebacks.

Gaethje Unmoved

Gaethje, for his part, seems unmoved by the noise. He also waved away the idea of an immediate rematch with Topuria, who tasted defeat for the first time as a professional against the American.

What clearly does interest the 37-year-old is the ripple effect of his own career. He spoke warmly about Pimblett’s admission that watching the Topuria stoppage inspired him to train harder, saying, “I think it’s crazy what my story has done for so many people.”

He extended the thought to old rival Rafael Fiziev, whom he has beaten twice, and to boxer Anthony Joshua. Joshua, Gaethje noted, had spoken about never forgetting how real and dangerous fighting is, a humbling lesson the champion clearly relishes. “It’s so humbling, so primal. It’s one on one. It’s freaking awesome,” he said.

Who’s Next?

If not Pimblett, then who? Arman Tsarukyan looms as the obvious candidate, ranked No. 2 at lightweight with three consecutive wins — credentials that on paper make him the most deserving challenger. Yet the path is complicated.

UFC president Dana White has made no secret of the promotion’s frustration with the Armenian. Tsarukyan withdrew from a title fight against then-champion Islam Makhachev in early 2025 and headbutted Dan Hooker at a November weigh-in, hardly the conduct that earns favour with matchmakers.

He has stayed busy elsewhere, winning seven consecutive freestyle wrestling matches at Real American Freestyle since January 2026, plus separate grappling competitions, and lining up a bout against recently retired UFC contender Colby Covington.

So the lightweight division sits in limbo, with no confirmed next fight for Gaethje and a champion openly resistant to the two rematches fans keep floating. Whether Tsarukyan, Pimblett or a wildcard gets the nod will ultimately fall to the UFC, and Australian fight fans, well used to late-night starts, will be watching for the scheduling announcement that finally clears the fog.