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Justin Gaethje Risks Sabotaging UFC Career as Ali Abdelaziz Calls for Ilia Topuria Again

Originally posted on EssentiallySports
By Himanga Mahanta | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 1:55 PM ET

Justin Gaethje’s team has only one demand from the UFC, and that’s to give him a title shot. He doesn’t want to entertain any other fights unless the money’s good, believing that he’s done enough to get a lightweight title fight. ‘The Highlight’ claims that he could consider retirement if his demands aren’t met, as his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, emphasized that once again on social media.

Ali Abdelaziz’s recent statement appears to be the strongest one when it comes to Justin Gaethje‘s future in the UFC. He not only highlighted the company man Gaethje has been over the years, showing up, always putting on thrilling showcases inside the Octagon, and showing out. As such, Abdelaziz believes the former BMF champion has earned his right to fight for the title.

Ali Abdelaziz doubles down on Justin Gaethje’s demand for a title shot

Ali Abdelaziz shared a message on X and started by saying, “[Justin Gaethje] will go down in history as one of the most entertaining fighters of all time.” And he’s not wrong! If we look at the run Gaethje has been on in the UFC, it’s been one of the most exciting ones ever. Also, Ali stressed ‘The Highlight’s willingness to take on all comers, even though he’s won some fights and lost some.

“Wins or losses will never define him. He’s never ducked anyone, and at this point in his career, I believe he’s done enough to be fighting for the title next,” Justin Gaethje’s manager added. “We all know this is a business, but blood, sweat, and hard work — this is who Justin is. He’s earned his shot, and his career speaks for itself.”

@Justin_Gaethje
will go down in history as one of the most entertaining fighters of all time. Wins or losses will never define him. He’s never ducked anyone, and at this point in his career, I believe he’s done enough to be fighting for the title next. We all know this is a…

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) October 13, 2025

This ultimatum kind of echoes a similar situation that happened with another one of Ali Abdelaziz’s fighters, Henry Cejudo. When ‘Triple C’ decided to step away from the sport in 2020, the manager kept insisting that he was going to come back soon. But the former double champ’s retirement lasted for over three years. This has led many people to believe that Ali’s most confident claims don’t always turn out to be true.

At the moment, there have been no announcements regarding Ilia Topuria’s next fight. So, we don’t know if it’s going to be Justin Gaethje. But guess what? Jon Jones doesn’t think that Gaethje’s going to get a crack at the belt anytime soon.

Jon Jones dismisses the chances of a Gaethje vs Topuria fight

Not too long ago, Ilia Topuria‘s manager, Lukasz Orzel, claimed that Justin Gaethje is going to be the one to land a title fight next. However, Jon Jones believes that it’s all a massive ruse. While talking to Kamil Gadzhiev, owner of the AMC Fight Nights promotion, the former two-weight champion downplayed Topuria’s team’s claim, calling it nothing but utter “nonsense.”

“But if this is so, this [announcement] is nonsense and such a small scam of Arman Tsarukyan. Personally, [that’s] my opinion,” Jon Jones stated on YouTube. Also, the fan sentiment regarding a potential Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje is not a positive one. They don’t want to see this fight , which aligns with what the lightweight champion wants: to give the fans fresh new matchups against fresh new opponents, like Paddy Pimblett.

So, the question is: will Justin Gaethje get what he wants or retire if he doesn’t? Despite Ali Abdelaziz being wrong about his fighters in the past, ‘The Highlight’ has stood his ground about strongly considering retirement. This could be a tactic to force Dana White, so we’ll have to wait and see what the former BMF champion decides to do. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.

This article first appeared on EssentiallySports and was syndicated with permission.

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