Former UFC interim lightweight champion and BMF champion Justin Gaethje said that he will wait for as long as he has to if he does not get the next chance at titleholder Islam Makhachev.
Charles Oliveira, the former UFC lightweight champion, was scheduled to challenge Makhachev at UFC 294 last weekend. But Oliveira sustained a cut 12 days before the bout and had to withdraw. Alexander Volkanovski filled in on short notice, and Makhachev knocked him out with a head kick in the first round.
UFC CEO Dana White said Oliveira is still likely to be next in line for Makhachev. If Makhachev wins that fight and doesn't compete again until the fall, which is his usual timeline, Gaethje said he'd be willing to wait for the title shot and not compete. If that means Gaethje won’t fight until late 2024, that’s fine by him.
"If they want to put Oliveira in there, then I fight him in September [or next October]. I have no issues waiting," Gaethje said.
