Justin Gaethje details 2026 plan: “The best way I can finish off my career”

Justin Gaethje realizes that he is authoring the final chapters of his story as a competitive fighter heading into the new year, but he has navigated a plan to go on a 2026 run that will dovetail his narrative together seamlessly.

During a video address posted to his personal YouTube channel ahead of his interim 155-pound title bout against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January 2026, with an excerpt of the video footage posted to X account @RedCorner_MMA, Gaethje said,

“I’d be foolish to think that this is the beginning of my career. This is my last chance, and this opportunity to finish my career off the way that I want to is everything that I could ask for. I fight Paddy [Pimblett] for the interim championship, win that, and then I get to fight Ilia [Topuria]. Ilia right now is the baddest man in my division and some consider across the board. So what an opportunity to finish this career out exactly how I’ve fought the whole time.”

“It’s impossible to be perfect every time, and so the challenge right now is for me to be perfect for 25 minutes in seven weeks from now. I’ve gone through a lot of experiences and I’ve learned a lot of things. I know how to do that and now I just have to trust my intuition and my body to put me in that position. Ultimately the preparation is going to give me the confidence to fight the best that I can.”

Justin Gaethje outlines “the best way that I can ever imagine finishing off my career”

As the former BMF champion outlines aspects of this aim to become a multi-time interim UFC champion while also keeping the flame alive for what is ultimately his goal of procuring the lineal strap afterward, Justin Gaethje continued,

“I’m planning on fighting perfect and when I fight perfect, I think that you have to get lucky to beat me. But the challenge is still ahead, I have to be perfect that night to knock Paddy out and earn my title shot on the White House card. That’s the plan and I think if I can do that, that’s the best way that I can ever imagine finishing off my career.”