Justin Gaethje weighs retirement before possible Arman Tsarukyan fight

Justin Gaethje has not decided whether to fight Arman Tsarukyan, with the 37-year-old lightweight champion weighing his health and future.

Justin Gaethje is weighing retirement rather than committing to a lightweight title defence against Arman Tsarukyan, he told Andrew Schulz, MMA Mania reports. “Everyone is like, ‘You f—king fight Arman!’ I don’t know what the fight — I have injuries I have to take care of. I haven’t made a decision,” Gaethje said.

Tsarukyan pressed his claim to a title shot by stopping Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on 19 September. Full UFC 331 results.

Gaethje, 37, said he has had 40 fights including his amateur bouts since his first in 2008, and that fighting on has never been about money for him but about his health. “I do not feel like I have anything left to prove,” he said. “But I know that I also just performed better than I’ve ever performed, so I’m stuck in between a rock and a hard place. I have my faculties. I want to keep my faculties.”

He will not fight again in 2026 and will decide his future after that. “I’m going to enjoy being champion the rest of the year. I’m going to make a business decision and a life decision whenever the time comes,” he said.