Justin Gaethje responds to Paddy Pimblett’s recent Ilia Topuria callouts as he makes his case for White House title shot

UFC star Justin Gaethje shared a pointed message in response to Paddy Pimblett’s recent claims surrounding an offer on the table to fight Ilia Topuria.

Justin Gaethje remains insistent that he’s the most deserving challenger for UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria’s first title defense in 2026. Gaethje, who hasn’t fought since a win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313, has repeatedly drawn a line in the sand surrounding his Octagon return.

Amid Gaethje’s hiatus, rising UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett has entered the mix following his win over Michael Chandler at UFC 314. After Ilia Topuria captured the then-vacant title at UFC 317, Pimblett and Topuria had a heated faceoff and seemed destined for a future showdown.

Gaethje previously promised to retire if he wasn’t granted the next title shot, a promise that wasn’t well-received by Dana White. After Pimblett recently called out Topuria to ‘sign the contract’ to settle their long-standing beef, it didn’t take long for Gaethje to take notice.

Justin Gaethje responds to Paddy Pimblett’s claims surrounding an Ilia Topuria clash

During a recent video posted on his X account, Gaethje shared the latest update surrounding his UFC return.

“My next fight, I’m planning on fighting whenever Ilia Topuria is fighting,” Gaethje said.

“I was hoping we’d fight him in January, but I can’t see that happening now. The biggest question is – when is Ilia fighting again? I don’t know the answer to that…best case scenario now, is they put us on the White House card. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t put that fight on that card.

“He’s the champ, very popular, I’m an American and just as deserving as anybody in the lightweight division. Never not shown up for a fight, never let the UFC down. Never failed them and I’ve always been there for them,” Gaethje continued.

“So I expect to get that fight and represent the United States of America on the White House lawn.”