Justin Gaethje has no interest in rematching Paddy Pimblett.‘The Highlight’ stunned the MMA world in June when he retired Ilia Topuria on his stool at the end of the fourth round to claim the lightweight belt on the South Lawn of the White House. Gaethje beat Pimblett in a brutal war in January, but they won’t meet againGettyHis victory lit a fire under Pimblett, who had considered hanging up his gloves after dropping a punishing unanimous decision defeat to Gaethje in January.The Liverpudlian rebounded to submit Benoit Saint-Denis inside 52 seconds this past weekend and is now ranked No.5 at lightweight.In the immediate aftermath of his career-best victory, he called for a second crack at Gaethje.However, the newly crowned world champion was quick to pour cold water on a sequel when pressed on it by Pat McAfee.“Destined for each other to fight again? No,” said Gaethje during an appearance on McAfee’s hit ESPN show. “No. No. No.”Gaethje instead chose to reflect on his remarkable journey.“I think it’s crazy what my story has done for so many people,” Gaethje added.“Rafael Fiziev, a guy I fought two times, says a very similar thing. “I kind of rejuvenated him when I won that fight. “Him losing two times to me, having been in there with me two times, kind of rejuvenated him. Pimblett put Saint Denis to sleep with a nasty d’Arce choke 52 seconds into the first round of their lightweight clashGetty“Anthony Joshua, I saw him talking about how you can never forget how real fighting is and how dangerous it is and never becoming too full of yourself. He learned that from that lesson.“It’s pretty cool across the board; all athletes respect our sport because it’s so humbling, so primal. “It’s one on one. It’s freaking awesome.”Who could Justin Gaethje fight next?Gaethje’s most likely opponent for his first title defence is No.2-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan.The Armenian had been booked to face Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title back in January 2025, but was forced to pull out due to injury.Tsarukyan later made weight as a backup fighter for a vacant lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, and returned to the Octagon to submit Dan Hooker last November. UFC ScheduleThere are still several blockbuster shows and exciting contests for fight fans to look forward to in 2026, and you can find the full list of all confirmed events and official bouts as part of talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.The UFC, on average, puts on 13 to 14 premium events in a calendar year, with up to 30 smaller ‘Fight Night’ cards allowing prospects and less experienced fighters to showcase their talents.On January 1, 2026, Dana White’s promotion signed a seven-year broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount+ for exclusive rights in the US, meaning the UFC has put on shows like never before this year.With the historic first event in the new Paramount era, UFC 324, delivering huge success, and a one-of-a-kind fight card at the White House in June opening up the UFC to a new audience, the promotion remains a premium global sports brand, and fans are eager to keep track of results and upcoming fights.