Tag: Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje laments missed title fight with UFC rival Islam Makhachev: ‘I don’t know what’s going on’

Justin GaethjeA fight with Max Holloway was not Justin Gaethje’s first choice for his return to the Octagon at UFC…

Justin Gaethje

A fight with Max Holloway was not Justin Gaethje’s first choice for his return to the Octagon at UFC 300.

Earlier this month, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that ‘The Highlight’ would put his BMF title on the line against the former featherweight champion. The announcement came with a lot of fanfare, but it admittedly left Gaethje a little disappointed considering everyone, himself included, believed his next fight would be for lightweight gold.

“It’s always funny how it works out,” Gaethje said in an interview with Kevin Iole. “You always think it’s going to go one way, and you can never guess what’s going to happen with the UFC. Once the Oliveira and Tsarukyan fight got announced, I was really confident that I was going to get the Makhachev fight, because I figured, obviously, there is nobody else to fight him. … I don’t know what’s going on. Some injury or something, but he’s not going to fight till June or July, I guess.

“I was under the impression that if not for sure a title eliminator, that the fight with Dustin Poirier was as much a title eliminator as this Tsarukyan and Oliveira fight is. Now, me fighting on the same card as those guys, I’m going to be obviously above them, all four of us – you know, me, Max, Tsaruykan, Oliveira, we all got a chance to stand out” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Though he’s fighting someone outside of the lightweight division, a loss for Gaethje could potentially derail his claim as the next man in line for Islam Makhachev. But instead of looking at it as a negative, ‘The Highlight’ is embracing the opportunity to stand out among some of the best fighters on the planet and re-solidifying his status as the most deserving contender.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Gaethje continued. “I think it’s second-best obviously if they lined me up with Makhachev – that’s the best-case scenario. Second best scenario is I get to fight for it, and that’s the scenario I’m in. I get to go in there, I get to stand out. There’s going to be two contenders coming out that night. So, we’ll see what happens after that.”

Justin Gaethje Talked His Fight with Max Holloway ‘Into Existence’

Justin Gaethje has nothing, but respect for Max Holloway. It is for that reason that he never wanted to find himself in a position where he had to repeatedly punch ‘Blessed’ in the face. Unfortunately, the fight game can be cruel like that sometimes.

Well, unless you’re Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili. Then you just switch divisions.

“I kind of talked this into existence on accident,” Gaethje said. “I said, ‘I didn’t want to punch Max Holloway, but he’s also a guy that could fight for a BMF belt.’ That turns out into going to be having to punch Max Holloway. It’s the name of the game, and I am the best in the world at creating damage.

“The last two fights, I have been very tactical and very, very, very methodical in my approach. I think that obviously I’m going to continue to do that, and if I can do that, then it’s going to be very hard for Max to overwhelm me and put me in positions where I shouldn’t be.”

Longtime commentator Joe Rogan hates one of UFC 300’s most exciting fights

Joe Rogan on UFC 300 fightWhile the main event remains a mystery, UFC 300 is shaping up to be the biggest event in the…

Joe Rogan on UFC 300 fight

While the main event remains a mystery, UFC 300 is shaping up to be the biggest event in the promotion’s 30+ year history.

UFC CEO Dana White has been drip-feeding fans over the last several weeks, revealing one fight at a time for the company’s next landmark event on April 13. Of the 10 bouts announced, the one that seems to have fans the most excited — main event withstanding — is the BMF title clash between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway. However, not everyone is in love with the matchmaking.

During a recent episode of his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the longtime UFC commentator was admittedly blown away by the announcement but fears that Holloway, a former featherweight world champion, may be too small to compete with the 155’ers.

“You know what I hate [about the fight],” Rogan said. Max is a great 45-pounder, Dustin Poirier beat him up at 55lbs. I think those guys are a little bit too big for him.”

Holloway made a very brief move to lightweight in 2019 for a fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 236. ‘Blessed’ lost a lopsided unanimous decision before promptly returning to 145.

joe Rogan Believes Max Holloway Should Be Next in line for featherweight title fight

Joe Rogan also believes that Holloway is the next man in line for a featherweight title opportunity, but a loss to Gaethje at UFC 300 could potentially hurt his momentum.

“Also, Max is right there in the hunt for the title,” Rogan added. “[When] Volkanovski gets done with Topuria, Max is a likely next fight. It’s 100 percent there.”

Holloway has already stepped inside the Octagon with Alexander Volkanovski on three separate occasions, losing via decision each time. If Ilia Topuria manages to score an upset against ‘The Great’ at UFC 298 in February, there’s a good chance ‘Blessed’ will be the first to challenge the new champ. If Volkanovski retains, it’s hard to imagine the promotion booking a fourth fight between the two, or fans willingly paying for it.

Max Holloway vows to ‘Shock the world’ with victory against Justin Gaethje in monstrous BMF title fight at UFC 300

Max Holloway vows to shock the world with win over Justin Gaethje in BMF title fight at UFC 300Former undisputed featherweight champion, Max Holloway has vowed to turn in a world-shocking performance against former interim lightweight champion,…

Max Holloway vows to shock the world with win over Justin Gaethje in BMF title fight at UFC 300

Former undisputed featherweight champion, Max Holloway has vowed to turn in a world-shocking performance against former interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje in the pair’s massive symbolic BMF title fight at UFC 300 in April.

Hawaiian favorite, Holloway is slated to make his return to the lightweight limit for the first time since a decision defeat to common-foe, Dustin Poirier in the pair’s interim championship rematch back in 2019, during his reign as featherweight champion.

Riding a two-fight winning run into his 155 pound sophomore walk, Holloway most recently turned in a devastating counter knockout win over veteran fan-favorite, Chan Sung Jung back in August of last year in the main event of UFC Fight Night Singapore.

As for Gaethje, the Arizona native turned in a shocking knockout win of his own last time, dispatching the above-mentioned, Poirier with a hellacious second round high-kick KO back in July in the main event of UFC 291, landing the symbolic BMF crown.

Max Holloway breaks down Justin Gaethje fight at UFC 300

And booked to feature against the Trevor Wittman staple in a return to the Octagon in April as part of a massive UFC 300 card, Holloway plans to door many doors for himself at the lightweight limit with a “shocking” win over Gaethje.

“It’s options, I think a lot of doors are going to get opened, a lot of options are going to be open,” Max Holloway told Kevin Iole during a recent interview. “We’ll see what happens. First things first, is the man in front of me. I got a dangerous guy in Justin Gaethje, but we’re going to handle him first, and then after that, like I said: It’s just a game of options.”

“A lot of things can open up after that fight [at UFC 300 against Justin Gaethje,” Max Holloway continued. “That’s what I’m focused on. Focused on getting my hand raised, and shock the world, I guess.”

Who wins the BMF title at UFC 300: Justin Gaethje or Max Holloway?

Justin Gaethje opens as betting favorite to beat Max Holloway in BMF championship fight at UFC 300

Justin Gaethje opens as betting favorite to beat Max Holloway in BMF title fight at UFC 300Slated to make his return to the Octagon as part of a blockbuster UFC 300 card in April, symbolic…

Justin Gaethje opens as betting favorite to beat Max Holloway in BMF title fight at UFC 300

Slated to make his return to the Octagon as part of a blockbuster UFC 300 card in April, symbolic BMF championship holder, Justin Gaethje has opened as a betting favorite Max Holloway in the pair’s title clash later this year.

Gaethje, the current BMF gold holder and former interim lightweight champion, most recently landed a hellacious second round high-kick KO win over over fellow former interim titleholder, Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 back in July in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As for Holloway, the former undisputed featherweight champion, most recently headlined a UFC Fight Night Singapore event back in August, retaining his number one rank in the division with a blistering third round knockout win over Chan Sung Jung. The victory came as Holloway’s second consecutively following a prior decision shutout win over Arnold Allen last year to boot.

Justin Gaethje opens as favorite to beat Max Holloway at UFC 300

And drawing Hawaiian favorite, Holloway in a long-anticipated showdown at UFC 300 in April, former interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje has opened as a -278 betting favorite to beat the former featherweight gold holder, who is sitting currently as a +225 betting underdog.

While markets are taking action on each confirmed fight at UFC 300 so far – as well as Justin Gaethje’s fight with Max Holloway in April, punters and bettors can also learn about the pros and cons of crypto betting on online casinos at the link provided here. 

In the midst of a two-fight winning spree, Arizona native, Gaethje landed a rematch with over common-foe, Poirier back in July of last year in the pair’s re-run, which came following a Fight of the Year contender against Tiger Muay Thai striking ace, Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 back in March of last annum in London.

Winning interim championship spoils back in 2020 in a bloody and devastating victory against former interim gold holder, Ferguson, Gaethje snapped the Oxnard veteran’s record-setting 12-fight winning run with a damaging, eventual fifth round standing TKO stoppage. 

Weighing up the possibility of fighting against Gaethje for the symbolic BMF title amid his trio of failed title clash attempts against current gold holder, Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway voiced his interest in fighting the fan-favorite finisher long before Dana White confirmed the booking of the spectacular pairing. 

“I was shouting my shot for the BMF [title], ‘The Highlight’ [Justin Gaethje], you know,” Max Holloway said. “I think we both would make a fun one for the fans; there is that BMF belt. I know they are short on guys for UFC 300, so that would be ideal. That would be one for the fans because he’s going to be waiting. If Islam (Makhachev) doesn’t fight between Ramadan, he is going to have to wait all the way until October, and that will be over a year and a half since his last fight.”

“I don’t think he [Gaethje] should be sitting that long,” Max Holloway explained. “So, in the meantime, why not have a fun one, both make a lot of money, and we’ll put on a show and make a lot of fans happy. That’s the idea… I wouldn’t want talent like that sitting out for a year for a title shot. I understand where he’s coming from. I understand why he wants to; he deserves the next shot.” 

Who wins in a BMF title fight at UFC 300: Justin Gaethje or Max Holloway?

Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway, Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller Announced for UFC 300

The card for UFC 300 continues to take shape, as UFC president Dana White announced two more fights on Monday. The BMF championship will be on the line when…

The card for UFC 300 continues to take shape, as UFC president Dana White announced two more fights on Monday. The BMF championship will be on the line when…

Breaking – Justin Gaethje set to fight Max Holloway in blockbuster BMF title clash at UFC 300 in April

Justin Gaethje set to fight Max Holloway in BMF title clash at UFC 300 in AprilFormer interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje is slated for his return to the Octagon at UFC 300 in pursuit…

Justin Gaethje set to fight Max Holloway in BMF title clash at UFC 300 in April

Former interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje is slated for his return to the Octagon at UFC 300 in pursuit of his first defense of the symbolic BMF title, taking on former featherweight gold holder, Max Holloway in April – in a much-anticipated pairing.

Gaethje, the current number two ranked lightweight contender, most recently headlined UFC 291 back in July in Salt Lake City, Utah – landing a hellacious second round KO win over common-foe, Dustin Poirier in the pair’s rematch, courtesy of a brutal high-kick stoppage.

As for Holloway, the former undisputed featherweight champion and record-setting striker, is in the midst of an impressive two-fight winning run – most recently stopping Chan Sung Jung with a brutal third round KO win of his own in the main event of UFC Singapore back in August.

Justin Gaethje takes on Max Holloway at UFC 300

News of Justin Gaethje’s return in a BMF championship fight against Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April was confirmed tonight on social media by promotional CEO, Dana White. 

A former interim lightweight champion, Gaethje landed the title back in 2020 against fellow former interim gold holder, Tony Ferguson, stopping the Oxnard veteran with a fifth round TKO in Jacksonville, Florida.

Hawaiian striking sensation, Holloway will make his first venture at the lightweight limit since 2019, losing an interim title fight in a bid to become a two-weight champion in his rematch with the above-mentioned, Poirier.

Furthermore, also added to an ever-developing UFC 300 card, a lightweight scrap between recent UFC Vegas 84 winner, Jim Miller, who takes on the returning Bobby Green in a reworked bout. 

UFC 300 also features an undisputed strawweight championship fight between Chinese stars, defending gold holder, Zhang Weili, and challenger, Yan Xiaonan. 

Who wins BMF gold at UFC 300 in April: Justin Gaethje or Max Holloway?