Justin Gaethje declined fighting top contender, claims UFC Qatar headliner

A headliner on the UFC Qatar card says he’s heard that Justin Gaethje turned down a fight against him.

Gaethje has made it clear that he wants his next fight to be contested for the UFC Lightweight Championship. The current titleholder is Ilia Topuria. While UFC CEO Dana White hasn’t been too receptive to Gaethje’s demands, he might just cave given how much of a fan favorite “The Highlight” is.

During an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Arman Tsarukyan claimed that Gaethje declined sharing the Octagon with him (h/t MMAJunkie.com).

“I was asking about the title fight and they said this year, Ilia’s not going to fight,” Tsarukyan said. “That’s why I said I’ll fight anybody because I haven’t fought in a long time so, I want to fight. I told them Dan Hooker or (Justin) Gaethje works for me. These names. I heard Gaethje said no and Hooker said yes so, we are in. Gaethje would be better, but for me, it doesn’t matter. Both of them, easy money for me.”

Tsarukyan now turns his attention to Hooker, as the two will collide in the UFC Qatar main event on Nov. 22. If Tsarukyan wins, he may be in line for a UFC lightweight title opportunity. Tsarukyan was scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the gold back in January, but he was removed from the UFC 311 card mere hours before the weigh-ins.

It appears Tsarukyan is now out of the doghouse and will get a meaningful fight before the end of 2025. Many expect Gaethje to get a crack at Topuria’s 155-pound gold, but that hasn’t been confirmed by the UFC at this time.

Stick with BJPenn.com for the latest on the UFC Qatar card, including bout additions and potential changes made to the event. When the time arrives for fight night, we’ll be bringing you coverage of the show.