Justin Gaethje enjoyed a generational run in 2026, capping it off by dethroning the dangerous Ilia Topuria to capture the lightweight title. Yet, despite his remarkable campaign, the UFC star fell short of winning the 2026 ESPYs for Best Fighter, a snub that his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is not taking lightly.

Earlier this year, when the ESPYs unveiled the nominees for Best Fighter, Gaethje was named alongside three boxing stars: legendary pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford, women's boxing superstar Claressa Shields, and Gabriela Fundora.

However, when the awards were announced this week, it was Crawford who took home the honor. Interestingly, Crawford's most recent outing came in September 2025, when he scored an impressive victory over Canelo Alvarez. He has yet to compete in 2026.

Gaethje, meanwhile, defied the odds throughout the year. He first earned a lightweight title shot with a dominant decision win over Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January.

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'The Highlight' then completed his dream run by stopping Ilia Topuria via corner stoppage to capture the lightweight title at the historic UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn on June 14.

The UFC lightweight champion being snubbed for the award despite an impressive run has irked his manager, Abdelaziz. In a post on X, he wrote:

Check out Justin Gaethje's manager Ali Abdelaziz's comments below:

Although Justin Gaethje secured the most significant accomplishment of his career to date just weeks ago at UFC Freedom 250, it appears 'The Highlight's' fighting days might be coming to an end.

Appearing on episode #2526 of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Vice President J.D. Vance revealed that Gaethje's mother had insisted during a recent visit to the White House that the lightweight champion was retiring:

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