Justin Gaethje's Broken Hands Mean No Title Fight Until 2027

Justin Gaethje isn't fighting again this year, and the reason is simple: he can't close his fists. The undisputed UFC lightweight champion (28-5, 21 KO) told Sports Illustrated that both hands are still busted from his fourth-round stoppage of Ilia Topuria at the UFC White House card in June, so a title defense before 2027 is off the table.

It's been a brutal six months. Gaethje opened 2026 with a back-and-forth war against Paddy Pimblett in January, then pulled off the upset of the year by finishing Topuria — a fighter who walked in 17-1 and is now the division's top-ranked contender. Two fights, two wins, and a champion who says he simply can't hit anything right now.

Gaethje's plan for the rest of the year is to sit on the belt and heal. He said he intends to lay out the pros and cons, talk it through with his family, and let people he trusts tell him the truth before deciding what's next. He's hinted he wants to keep fighting, but with months left in 2026 he left the door open to changing his mind.

No Immediate Topuria Rematch

Despite chatter that Topuria could get a straight run-back, Gaethje isn't sold. His counterpoint is blunt: Topuria couldn't get off the stool after the fourth round. In his gut, he said, the Spaniard isn't his next opponent — and with Topuria also nursing injuries, Gaethje figures they'd both be sidelined into next year anyway.

The math tracks. Topuria's 17-1 record still glitters, and he sits at #1 in the rankings, but a first career loss and a body that needs repairs makes an instant rematch a tough sell for a matchmaker with other options. Pimblett, at 24-4 and ranked #5 after submitting Benoît Saint Denis, is one of them.

Gaethje was honest about who actually controls the timeline: the UFC decides his next fight, and he'll take whoever they hand him — if he fights at all. For now, the man who just authored one of 2026's biggest upsets is doing the least glamorous thing a champion can do. Waiting for his hands to work again.