Israel Adesanya is not interested in subtlety when it comes to the fight he wants to see next. With Justin Gaethje now sitting as the undisputed lightweight champion after his win over Ilia Topuria at UFC White House, Adesanya believes the biggest possible move for Gaethje’s first title defense is a showdown with Conor McGregor.
Israel Adesanya’s Pitch for a Mega Fight
Speaking on the MightyCast, Adesanya laid out exactly why this matchup makes sense financially, even pointing to Justin Gaethje’s existing history with Max Holloway, who knocked him out in dramatic fashion at UFC 300. He said:
“I think Gaethje sitting frontside at the Max vs. Conor in Vegas, he’s already got the story there with Max, wants revenge, but also Conor and Gaethje would feed families, it would feed f*cking countries, that would be crazy. It would. It would feed everybody, World Vision.”
“The Last Stylebender” did question whether “Blessed” was the smartest opponent for McGregor’s actual comeback fight, suggesting Michael Chandler may have made more sense.
Conor McGregor’s Comeback Timeline and What’s Next
Conor McGregor steps back into the octagon next month on July 11 to run it back with Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, his first fight in five years since breaking his leg at UFC 264.
With only two fights remaining on his current UFC deal, a win over Holloway would leave him with just one fight left before his contract runs out. McGregor has already shown interest in facing Islam Makhachev or Justin Gaethje for that final outing.
Justin Gaethje’s Retirement Question Still Looms
None of these storylines can move forward until “The Highlight” decides his own future. At 37 years old and now finally holding undisputed gold after years of chasing it, Gaethje has not revealed whether he plans to keep fighting or walk away on top. Until that question is answered, every potential opponent, McGregor included, remains speculation rather than a real plan.
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