Justin Gaethje’s recent retirement threat was not all his idea.
Gaethje (26-5) is scheduled to fight Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas. The interim title fight was hatched after champion Ilia Topuria announced a short break from competition for personal reasons. Gaethje and Pimblett (23-3) were previously frontrunners for a title shot against Topuria. However, Topuria has clearly expressed his preference for defending his title against Pimblett over Gaethje. Gaethje was threatening retirement if denied a title shot in his next fight.