With Islam Makhachev’s quick first-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294, Justin Gaethje assumed he would be the next man to challenge the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ for the lightweight world title.
However, UFC CEO Dana White appears to have other plans, suggesting that Makhachev’s originally scheduled opponent for Abu Dhabi, Charles Oliveira, will get his shot sometime in 2024 leaving ‘The Highlight’ hanging out to dry.
Speaking with ESPN following the news that ‘Do Bronx’ could be next in line, Gaethje confirmed that he’s content to sit on the sidelines and use the extra time to prepare.
“I have no issues waiting,” Gaethje told ESPN. “Again, as I get older I get to understand from now until the time I’m gonna fight him I’m gonna be building strength, I’m gonna be working on my cardio, I’m gonna be refining my skills. So, I’ll take as much time as they give me and I’ll be that much more ready.”
Max Holloway willing to keep Justin Gaethje Busy While He waits for a Lightweight title shot
Unfortunately, that means Justin Gaethje could be sitting out for up to a year depending on how active Islam Makhachev wants to be. But should ‘The Highlight’ decide to take a fight in the interim, former featherweight titleholder Max Holloway is more than willing to sign on the dotted line.
“If you change your mind bratha, how about one for the fans?” Holloway wrote in response to Gaethje’s comments.
If you change your mind bratha, how about one for the fans? #BMF
@Justin_Gaethje https://t.co/d4KjwBdTHz
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) October 26, 2023
Max Holloway has found himself in an interesting position in recent years. After coming up short against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski on three separate occasions, nobody is clamoring to see the pair complete a quadrilogy. Despite that, ‘Blessed’ remains one of the absolute best strikers in the sport, as evidenced by his vicious third-round knockout of The Korean Zombie in August.
With Justin Gaethje currently sitting as UFC’s current BMF titleholder, we can’t think of a more appropriate matchup for the promotion’s bragging rights belt than ‘The Highlight’ vs. Max Holloway.