https://athlonsports.com/mma/justin-gaethje-pissed-passed-over-for-ilia-topuria-fight
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UFC 317 will mark the start of Ilia Topuria’s quest for double champion status, as he moves up to lightweight and immediately challenges for UFC gold. In his divisional debut, Topuria faces one of the sport’s most feared submission specialists in Charles Oliveira—a former titleholder known for breaking records and finishing elite opponents on the ground. But while the spotlight shines on the matchup, one former UFC champion is feeling overlooked—and he’s not staying silent.
That former titleholder is Justin Gaethje. On a recent episode of the Anik & Florian Podcast , co-host Jon Anik shed light on a private conversation he had with Gaethje, revealing the lightweight contender’s frustration. ‘He was pissed, right? He feels like certainly he was passed over in favor of Charles Oliveira for this opportunity against Ilia Topuria,’ Anik said. He added, ‘I think what Justin Gaethje and his manager Ali Abdelaziz are looking for is just some sort of guarantee that they will be next.’
Gaethje’s irritation comes on the heels of a critical bounce-back win at UFC 313, where he defeated Rafael Fiziev by majority decision. It was a rematch of their razor-close bout at UFC 286, and this time, Gaethje clearly separated himself in the third round, earning Fight of the Night honors. The win moved him to No. 3 in the official UFC lightweight rankings.
Charles Oliveira, currently ranked No. 2, returned to action at UFC 309, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over Michael Chandler. The bout marked his bounce-back fight after suffering a loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300. Oliveira earned the win on all three judges’ scorecards, reinforcing his position as a top contender and strengthening his case for another shot at the belt.
With Gaethje and Oliveira neck-and-neck in the rankings and both coming off high-level wins, it’s understandable why the UFC’s decision to go with Oliveira over Gaethje could be seen as a toss-up. Each man had a legitimate case, but ultimately it was Oliveira who landed the Topuria sweepstakes.
With Dana White remaining noncommittal about Gaethje’s future, the road ahead remains uncertain. However, if history is any indicator, the former champion is unlikely to stay sidelined for long. A clash with the winner of UFC 317 could still be in play—and Gaethje is making sure his name stays in the conversation.
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fighters tend to peak at their title shot (generally around 30)
his was 5 years ago
he is now 36
hes nearing tony ferguson territory
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Topuria would starch Gaethje. Being the nice guys that they are, the UFC is probably just looking out for Justin 
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I wouldn’t call not getting a title shot after beating a guy you already beat who was out injured for a year a snub.
Is he forgetting Charles stopped him in the first round or something?
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On that note and he didn’t even look that great with those two matches against Fiziev
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lol he’s lost 3 of his last 7 and just got slept by Max Holloway
He doesn’t deserve a title shot but honestly neither does Charles
He’s lost 2 of his last 4
But LW is so stacked and Arman messed up his chance so here we are
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He’s also 9-5 in UFC and hasn’t put together more than two wins in a row in 5 years.
It seems so petty to punish Arman for pulling out and then give the guy you stripped of the title for missing weight another shot.
They don’t view Arman as marketable either.
Charles stopped him, he was also on the wrong end of one of the greatest knockouts ever at UFC 300.
Winner mg one fight doesn’t erase these things.
100%. He’s just as bad as Belal from a marketing standpoint
The UFC needs stars badly right now
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Who cares, he’s absolutely terrible
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If I were Arman, I’d ask for a fight with Paddy.
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