Former BMF champion Justin Gaethje’s upcoming title fight at UFC 324 might be his final Octagon appearance, according to his coach.

Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will fight for the UFC interim lightweight title later this month at UFC 324, amid Ilia Topuria’s ongoing hiatus. Gaethje and Pimblett earned shots at the interim title over top contender Arman Tsarukyan and others, and will ring in the UFC’s new broadcast partnership with Paramount+ in style.

Gaethje got back into the lightweight title mix when he outpointed Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 last year, following a brutal knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300. After the loss, many fans speculated that Gaethje could be on the last leg of his career.

That sentiment was seemingly confirmed by Gaethje’s longtime coach ahead of UFC 324.

Trevor Wittman: Justin Gaethje will retire with loss at UFC 324

In a recent interview with , Gaethje’s longtime coach Trevor Wittman didn’t hesitate to hint at what would happen with a loss at UFC 324.

“I’m not afraid to speak it out loud – this is our last run,” Wittman said of Gaethje.

“If we don’t win this fight, we’re not going on, we’re not going to go out there and be a gatekeeper and look at money fights and like that. Justin would fight over and over, but he knows he’s got to be there for family, he’s got to be smart and take care of his health.

“But, we win this belt, my shoot to the moon goal would be let’s go and [do] repeat defenses,” Wittman continued. “We’re not the champion yet, so we’ll have to go get that belt next.”

As of this writing, Gaethje hasn’t spoken about his future past UFC 324. Depending on how the fight plays out, Gaethje could drop the gloves in the Octagon after his matchup with Pimblett.