Justin Gaethje has made his intentions clear for his first UFC lightweight title defense. Despite still recovering from the injuries he suffered against Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 in June, the 37-year-old already knows who he wants standing across from him when he returns.

In a recent appearance on comedian Andrew Schulz’s podcast, Flagrant, the lightweight champion named Arman Tsarukyan as the only fighter he would consider defending his belt against. 

“Everyone’s like, ‘You f—g fight Arman,'” Gaethje said. “I don’t know what the f—k. I have injuries I have to take care of. I haven’t made a decision. But I am 37 years old. My first fight was in 2008. I’ve had 40 fights, including my amateur fights, so I don’t know.

“I mean, [Arman] is the next in line. If and when I defend this championship, that will be who I fight.”

This suggests that while the fight is not confirmed by the UFC, Justin Gaethje remains committed to defending his title against Arman Tsarukyan whenever it happens.

Tsarukyan strengthened his case for that opportunity with a spectacular win over Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in California last week. The Armenian landed two consecutive elbows from the clinch, putting Ruffy to sleep at 4:56 of the opening round.

For a fighter who has spent years chasing a title opportunity, the victory was a significant statement. UFC CEO Dana White was also impressed by the performance, although he stopped short of confirming Tsarukyan as the next challenger.

When reporters asked White at the UFC 331 post-fight press conference whether Tsarukyan had done enough to earn a title shot, the UFC CEO pointed to Gaethje’s own decision.

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” White said at the UFC 331 post-fight press conference. “That’s up to… we don’t know what Gaethje is thinking yet. He was here tonight, so he saw the fight. We’ll see where his head is at.”

Now, Gaethje has made his position clear. As such, in all likelihood, the next title fight at 155 lbs will be between Gaethje and Tsarukyan.

The lightweight champion had already expressed a preference for Tsarukyan earlier this year. In July, he told RMC Sport that he wasn’t interested in an immediate rematch with Ilia Topuria because Tsarukyan “deserves” the opportunity more.

Following Tsarukyan’s emphatic knockout of Ruffy, Gaethje’s stance appears unchanged. But while he was willing to praise Tsarukyan as the next contender, he had considerably less to say about Topuria.

Justin Gaethje believes Ilia Topuria doesn’t belong in the lightweight division

Gaethje and Ilia Topuria have continued trading barbs since their UFC White House clash.

Topuria recently accused Gaethje of glove tampering during their fight, a claim that received plenty of backlash. Gaethje has now fired back with criticism of his own, questioning whether Topuria belongs in the lightweight division at all.

In the same interview, Gaethje argued that Topuria is undersized at 155 lbs and suggested that he should return to featherweight.

“I don’t think he’s a lightweight,” Gaethje said. “I think he should go down. I think he can beat Volkanovski and be champion at featherweight. I don’t think he’ll ever be champion at lightweight. He can’t beat Arman. He’s going to have a difficult time with Paddy. There’s a bunch of dogs.”

The Georgian-Spaniard is generally considered an average-sized lightweight. His height is listed at 5’7″ with a 69-inch reach. Ilia Topuria previously ruled the featherweight division before moving up to lightweight, where he defeated Charles Oliveira to win the vacant UFC lightweight championship. He later vacated the featherweight title to completely remain at 155 pounds, setting up his eventual showdown with Gaethje at the White House.

Dustin Poirier also discussed Topuria’s size after meeting him in person. Speaking on the Deep Waters Podcast, Poirier described him as a perfect-sized featherweight and suggested that he consider moving back down.

For now, though, Justin Gaethje has made his own plans clear. He expects to take time to recover from his injuries, but when he does return to defend his lightweight title, he has already identified the opponent he wants.

Arman Tsarukyan appears to be the fighter at the front of Gaethje’s mind. As for Topuria, their rivalry remains far from settled. That said, it will be interesting to see where the lightweight division heads from here.