Justin Gaethje Says He's 'Next' After Islam Makhachev Beats Volkanovski at UFC 294

Justin Gaethje wants a shot at UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev after he successfully defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 on Saturday.

Makhachev cruised to victory via TKO at 3:06 of Round 1 after landing a clean head kick and issuing a fierce ground-and-pound attack versus the featherweight champion.

Gaethje, who is ranked as the No. 2 contender for the lightweight belt, is the highest-ranking competitor in his division who hasn't faced Makhachev just yet.

Former champion Charles Oliveira, currently ranked as the No. 1 contender, previously fell to Makhachev via second-round submission in Oct. 2022.

He was supposed to face Makhachev in a rematch Saturday, but an injury (deep cut above his right eyebrow) suffered during an October 9 sparring session forced him out of the fight.

Gaethje may want that title shot, but it appears UFC president Dana White believes Oliveira deserves another chance more.

Regardless of who faces Makhachev next, it's clear the champion is pound-for-pound one of the world's top fighters. He's on a 13-game match streak that has boosted his professional record to 25-1. Makhachev has won 11 fights via submission and another five by knockout. Six of his last seven wins have ended via submission or knockout as well.

He entered Saturday as the UFC's No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter, but he'll probably move up a spot after taking down Volkanovski (ranked No. 2) for a second time.

Gaethje is an accomplished fighter in his own right, though, with a lifetime record of 25-4 (20 knockouts). He's enjoyed a great 2023 with wins over Rafael Fiziev via majority decision and Dustin Poirier by second-round knockout. The case against Gaethje, though, is that he lost to Oliveira by first-round submission in May 2022.

We'll see what transforms as far as Makhachev's next fight goes, but for now, the lightweight champion stays atop his lofty perch after another dominant win.