White Anoints Holloway ‘Greatest Featherweight Of All Time’

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway, will look to add another belt to his Hawaiian mantel when he battles lightweight bruiser Justin Gaethje for the …


UFC 223: Press Conference
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway, will look to add another belt to his Hawaiian mantel when he battles lightweight bruiser Justin Gaethje for the “BMF” strap at the upcoming UFC 300 pay-per-view (PPV) event, going down this Sat. night (April 13, 2024) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Max Holloway, always a big fan favorite,” White told First Take with Stephen A. Smith. “Probably the greatest featherweight of all time, going up against Gaethje, who is a human highlight reel.”

Sorry Ilia, not yet.

This marks the third “BMF” (Baddest Mother F—ker) title fight since its inception back in late 2019, when Jorge Masvidal sliced and diced his way to victory over Nate Diaz. Gaethje would later claim the crown by thumping Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 last summer.

“The idea of the ‘BMF’ was built right here in this room,” White told Smith from his Las Vegas office. “There’s always these fights that the fans love, whether it’s a Masvidal vs. Diaz, you know, those types of fights — Gaethje and Holloway. We were sitting in here one day and thought about building this ‘BMF’ title and who’s better fit for this thing than Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway? We thought about it in here. I told the guys, ‘Tell me if I’m crazy, but what do you think of this idea?’ They loved it, the fans love it, and here we go.”

The winner of Gaethje vs. Holloway could score the next lightweight title shot (or not).


MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 300 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the UFC 300 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 300: “Pereira vs. Hill” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive UFC 300 event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 300 fight card and PPV lineup click here.