Justin Gaethje has floated an unexpected idea for how his career could wind down: a farewell fight against Conor McGregor. Speaking on the Flagrant 2 Army podcast, as reported by Ag. Fight, the lightweight champion said the matchup "would be fun," even with plenty of uncertainty hanging over his own future in the sport. Gaethje is coming off arguably the best win of his career, stopping Ilia Topuria by technical knockout (corner stoppage) in the fourth round on June 14, 2026, a finish that came right at the five minute mark. That result has him sitting at 1579 on our Elo rating, built from six tracked bouts, numbers that reflect just how dominant his current run has been. McGregor's situation looks very different. McGregor was stopped by Max Holloway just 69 seconds into their long-awaited rematch at UFC 329, suffering a technical knockout defeat. That loss has kept McGregor firmly in the conversation for all the wrong reasons, and it's part of why a Gaethje farewell bout reads more like a spectacle than a true title threat. Still, the idea of Gaethje closing out his run against one of the sport's biggest draws is the kind of matchup that sells itself regardless of where either man stands in the rankings. Fans have already been tracking how often betting underdogs have won main events in 2026, a trend that includes McGregor's shocking loss to Holloway, and a Gaethje-McGregor pairing would only add more unpredictability to that conversation. Nothing about timing, weight, or whether the UFC has any real interest in booking it has been addressed. For now, it's just Gaethje putting the idea out there, and given his standing as champion, that alone is enough to get people talking.