With a win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, Max Holloway isn’t ruling out the possibility of a fight with reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
On Saturday, April 13, ‘Blessed’ will step inside the Octagon for what many are calling the people’s main event. The former featherweight titleholder will look to claim the promotion’s bragging rights belt, the BMF title, when he meets another beloved fan favorite inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
But a win over ‘The Highlight’ won’t just net Holloway a cool new belt to put on his mantle. It could also thrust him into the lightweight division’s top five, setting the stage for a potential shot at the division’s top prize.
Max Holloway isn’t ruling out a fight against Islam Makhachev if he defeats Justin Gaethje at #UFC300
“If I can go out there and get my hand raised… there’s a lot of fights that can be there for us. One of them being the [155 pound] champ which I think would be a fun one.”… pic.twitter.com/pPWOXoiWHi
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 3, 2024
“I’m in a place where first things first is Gaethje, but if I got out there and get my hand raised like I plan on doing, there’s a lot of fights that can be there for us — one of them being the [155 pound] champ which I think it would be a fun one,” Holloway told Kevin Iole during a recent interview.
This will be Max Holloway’s second time fighting at lightweight, his first coming against Dustin Poirier at UFC 236 — exactly five years from the day he returns to the division later this month.
‘Blessed’ saw his 13-fight win streak snapped at the hands of ‘The Diamond’ before retreating back to 145 for a trilogy of classic clashes with Alexander Volkanovski.
Justin Gaethje believes Max Holloway will be too tough for his own good at uFC 300
As for Max Holloway’s UFC 300 opponent, Justin Gaethje is practically teed up for one last shot at Makhachev’s lightweight gold, but a loss to ‘Blessed’ could put a wrinkle in those plans. The Highlight’ has won four of his last six, the two losses coming against then-champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, making an all but guaranteed showdown with the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ his last opportunity to claim UFC gold.
Well aware of the stakes at play, Gaethje plans on using the Octagon canvas to paint a masterpiece of violence and mayhem with Holloway’s blood at UFC 300.
“Max Holloway is a legend, probably the only person on the UFC roster that checks every single box of being a BMF so I have a lot of respect for him,” Gaethje said during a promotional video for their upcoming clash. “However, this is my job and I’m going to try and f*ck him up. I will finish Max, he may not go away the traditional way, but I think I will inflict damage to where the doctors need to stop it. We are about to paint a violent picture and no two better guys to go out there and put on a show.”