Justin Gaethje (22-3) suffered his third career defeat in his last outing against Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0). Now, “The Highlight” is ready to regroup.

The encounter with “The Eagle” saw the 32-year-old Gaethje succumb to the lightweight king’s pressure thus leading to a second-round submission loss. When addressing the possibility of who could be next, Gaethje is aware of what would be most lucrative.

“I mean, with the way this sport works, I’m no fool,” the former WSOF champion told MMA Junkie. “[Nate Diaz is one of the] top three biggest superstars in the sport even though he hasn’t fought in a long time. And in the position I’m in, I need a win. It could be Nate Diaz, it could be Rafael dos Anjos, it could be Charles Oliveira, it could be Michael Chandler, it could be Conor McGregor. And when I attain that [next] win, I will then get the title shot.

“A win against Nate Diaz is just as good a win, right now for me, as Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor.”

Gaethje went on to acknowledge that a fight with someone like Nate Diaz (20-12) at this current stage might not be the “right thing”, but of course, a good business move.

As of right now, the Arizonan doesn’t have any fight lined up but is ready and waiting. The Nurmagomedov loss came in Justin Gaethje’s lone career UFC title tilt to this point. Prior to that, four victims fell to the heavy hands of the lightweight contender.

Regarding a possible Diaz matchup, the likelihood of that happening dropped even further after Diaz responded to Dustin Poirier on Tuesday. Stockton’s finest let it be known that he has no intentions on returning to 155-pounds — the division he made his name in.

Diaz’s last lightweight contest came in 2015 when he earned a unanimous decision win against Michael Johnson.