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Justin Gaethje planning six month plus hiatus after UFC 300 loss: ‘I want to take care of myself’

Justin Gaethje plans six month hiatus from the UFC after KO loss to Max Holloway I want to take care of myself Former interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje has confirmed plans to take a six-month hiatus from the Octagon at a…

Former interim lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje has confirmed plans to take a six-month hiatus from the Octagon at a minimum following his UFC 300 knockout loss to Max Holloway in the pair’s symbolic BMF title fight earlier this month.

Gaethje, the current number three ranked division contender, featured on the main card of UFC 300 earlier this month, taking on former featherweight champion, Holloway in defense of his symbolic BMF crown.

And en route to a rather comfortable decision loss to the Hawaiian favorite, Gaethje was summoned to the Octagon center with just 10 seconds remaining in the final frame – finding himself on the receiving end of a winning right hook counter from Holloway, felling him unconscious in brutal fashion.

Justin Gaethje planning extended hiatus

Confirming plans for an extended hiatus from the sport, Arizona veteran, Gaethje appeared to hint at a potential six month layoff at the minimum – prioritizing his recovery following a ghastly knockout defeat.

gettyimages 2148562866 612x612 1 — Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

“Metaphorically, I could be ready tomorrow, but physically, I do want to take care of myself,” Justin Gaethje told MMA Hangout during a recent interview. “I do think that repeated concussions, with me going to sleep like that, me receiving that shot, It would be foolish for me to jump back into training anytime before 180 days.”

“I think six months, at least, before I get back to taking shots,” Justin Gaethje explained. “But that doesn’t say that I won’t be training the whole time.”

Immediately shutting down suggestions of a retirement off the back of his knockout loss, Gaethje vowed to make a triumphant return, after heaping praise on the massive performance put in by Holloway – whom he openly admitted to feeling he would never stand opposite in a fight.

Who would you like to see Justin Gaethje fight in his return to the UFC?

Justin Gaethje reveals ‘Biggest mistake’ he made in fight with Max Holloway: ‘I think he fought so perfect’

Justin Gaethje says he made a significant mistake against Max Holloway at UFC 300. Gaethje was defending his BMF…

Justin Gaethje says he made a significant mistake against Max Holloway at UFC 300.

Gaethje was defending his BMF belt in the featured bout against Holloway in a very intriguing matchup. It was a fan-friendly fight, but going into the bout, Gaethje says he made a key mistake as he didn’t realize how much danger he was in by fighting the Hawaiian.

“I think if I made a mistake, the biggest mistake was not realizing or understanding through the camp how much danger I was in,” Justin Gaethje said to the Dan LeBatard show (via MMAMania). “I know that was a mistake now. I think it was more difficult for my body to go to a primal state because of my lack of awareness of the danger that that my body was in. Not that I didn’t give Max respect. It was more the fact that I never in my life saw Max as an opponent that I would potentially fight.

“He was always in a different weight class. I never was like, ‘This is a guy I wanna fight.’ There’s never been another fight in my career where I’ve been like, ‘I didn’t expect to fight this guy,’ or ‘I have too much respect for this guy.’ Not that I didn’t wanna hurt him, I was willing to hurt him,” Justin Gaethje clarified. “But the lead up was very different — even Donald Cerrone was my friend back in the day, but he he knocked me out in a practice in, like, 2010. So I was like, I wanna get that back.”

“The competitor of me wants to get that back. There was nothing, that fire wasn’t there. And I think that was probably the biggest mistake that I made going into this fight. It’s something that I that I’m gonna learn from. But again, all credit to Max for for the way that he fought. I think he fought so perfect.”

Justin Gaethje ended up suffering a knockout loss to Max Holloway with one second left in the fifth round to lose his BMF title.

Justin Gaethje plans to take time off after UFC 300 loss

Following the knockout loss at UFC 300, Justin Gaethje says he will be taking some much-needed time off to heal up his brain and make sure he’s healthy.

Max Holloway Justin Gaethje KO UFC 300 Pros react UFC 1024x587 1

Gaethje says he will be taking 180 days off of taking contact, as he wants to make sure he is 100 percent healthy for his next fight.

“I do want to take care of myself. I do think that repeated concussions with me going to sleep like that, me receiving that shot, it would be foolish for me to to jump back into training anytime before 180 days,” Gaethje said. “I could do cardio. I could stay in shape. That’s what I wanna try to do, especially the older I get, the harder it is to get back to the best shape of my life. So I wanna stay active. But obviously, the physical contact is gonna be limited for quite some time, just because I wanna preserve preserve myself. I think six months at least before I get back to taking shots.”

When and who Gaethje will fight in his return is uncertain.

Justin Gaethje insists he’s ‘Not done’ after KO loss against Max Holloway: ‘I’m gonna fight in the future’

Off the back of his stunning fifth round buzzer-beating KO loss to Max Holloway in the pair’s symbolic BMF…

Off the back of his stunning fifth round buzzer-beating KO loss to Max Holloway in the pair’s symbolic BMF title fight at UFC 300 last weekend, former interim champion, Justin Gaethje has shut down a potential retirement from the sport, claiming he plans to continue fighting into the future.

Gaethje, a former interim lightweight gold holder, and a former BMF champion under the promotion, saw his two-fight winning run snapped over the course of last weekend against former featherweight champion, Holloway.

En route to a definitive unanimous decision loss to the Hawaiian, Gaethje elected to stand and trade with the ex-champion in the final 10 seconds of the last round, upon request.

Suffering a brutal KO loss in the final second of their clash at UFC 300, Gaethje was slumped to the canvas in face-planting fashion – with Holloway recording one of the most viral and spectacular knockout wins in the history of the organization.

Justin Gaethje vows to continue fighting despite UFC 300 loss

Sharing his thoughts on his defeat to Holloway, Arizona native, Gaethje insisted he would return to fighting – and promised the “best live show on Earth” in his next outing to the Octagon.

“I mean, [the fight] was certainly a war,” Justin Gaethje told MMA Knockout during a recent interview. “Certainly the definition of a war, especially getting put to sleepl like that. That definitely counted as one. Yeah, but I’m not done. I’m gonna fight in the future – and that’s the only way that I fight.”

Max Holloway shows off dama — Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

“So even if I wanted to change how I fight, it’s really not possible,” Justin Gaethje explained. That’s how I compete. It’s how I’ve competed since I was a kid. And so the next time I step in there, you know, the best live show on Earth. We’ll see if I have as good a dance partner, as I had this last weekend. But yeah. My intentions will be the same.”

Who would you like to see Justin Gaethje fight in his return?

Justin Gaethje insists he’s ‘Not done’ after KO loss against Max Holloway: ‘I’m gonna fight in the future’

Off the back of his stunning fifth round buzzer-beating KO loss to Max Holloway in the pair’s symbolic BMF…

En route to a definitive unanimous decision loss to the Hawaiian, Gaethje elected to stand and trade with the ex-champion in the final 10 seconds of the last round, upon request.

Justin Gaethje vows to continue fighting despite UFC 300 loss

Sharing his thoughts on his defeat to Holloway, Arizona native, Gaethje insisted he would return to fighting – and promised the “best live show on Earth” in his next outing to the Octagon.

Who would you like to see Justin Gaethje fight in his return?

Video – Justin Gaethje’s parents react to their son getting brutally KO’d at UFC 300: ‘That must have been terrifying’

Justin Gaethje’s parents were in the crowd when he suffered what many are calling the most brutal knockout in…

Justin Gaethje’s parents were in the crowd when he suffered what many are calling the most brutal knockout in UFC history.

Stepping into the Octagon at UFC 300 to defend his BMF belt against former featherweight world champion Max Holloway, Gaethje suffered some early adversity after his nose was broken courtesy of a brilliantly-timed spinning back kick from Holloway.

Despite the early injury, Gaethje put his best foot forward and hung with one of the greatest strikers in MM history. With 10 seconds to go in the contest, Holloway called for the two men to stand in the center and throw hands until the final horn. Gaethje obliged, throwing caution to the wind and going toe-to-toe with ‘Blessed’ in the proverbial phone booth.

Moments later, ‘The Highlight’ would become exactly that.

With one second left on the clock, Holloway unleashed a booming overhand right that connected clean and sent Gaethje crashing to the canvas. It was undoubtedly one of the most spectacular, yet scariest knockouts in UFC history.

As it turns out, Gaethje’s parents were sitting in the second row, directly behind Tim Welch, coach to bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, and current middleweight titleholder Dricus Du Plessis. Needless to say, the footage of their reactions may be a bit unsettling, particularly for those who have children themselves.

MMA Fans react to footage of Justin Gaethje’s parents at UFC 300

UFC fans were quick to comment on the video, many of them empathizing with Gaethje’s parents. Others were downright disgusted that the footage was not only shot but also released.

Jorge Masvidal calls for ‘easy’ UFC comeback fight against Justin Gaethje: ‘He just got flatlined’

After the events of UFC 300, Jorge Masvidal remains adamant that Justin Gaethje would be an “easy fight” for…

After the events of UFC 300, Jorge Masvidal remains adamant that Justin Gaethje would be an “easy fight” for him.

Putting his BMF title on the line for the very first time, Gaethje went to war with former featherweight champion Max Holloway. Suffering a broken nose in the early going, ‘The Highlight’ struggled to find his target for much of the 24:59 affair. With time winding down, Holloway called for the two men to stand in the center and throw hands until the final horn.

Gaethje obliged and suffered the consequences, eating a booming overhand right that sent him crashing to the canvas with one second left on the clock.

Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the promotion’s first-ever BMF champion once again suggested that Gaethje would make for the perfect opponent should ‘Gamebred’ decide to give it one more go inside the Octagon.

“I don’t want to talk too much sh*t since he just got f*cking flatlined, but I’m hoping our paths cross in the UFC, you know, cause this would be, like, a very good comeback fight for me, easy fight for me,” Masvidal said. He’s literally just walking forward, eating shots, no head movement. No nothing.

“It’s nothing personal, but I would definitely love to bust f*cking Gaethje’s face up. I’ll let him heal up from this because he might never come back the same because that was a war that he went through and on top of that, he got f*cking executed. Gaethje can say whatever he wants. I don’t really give f*ck about it, but if our paths ever cross, I’ll light that motherf*cker up.”

Jorge Masvidal questions how much life justin gaethje has left

After suffering such a brutal knockout, Masvidal can’t help, but question how much the 35-year-old Gaethje has left to give inside the Octagon.

“Gaethje always finds a way to come back, put on great shows, and keep fucking winning. But this one was bad,” Masvidal said of Gaethje. “He was out for a good amount of time, like two minutes, and when they sat him up he was still visibly hurt. I hope he makes a full recovery and comes back to the sport stronger than ever, but you just don’t know when you take a knockout like that…

“It wasn’t just that, it was a lot of abuse to the body. I thought Gaethje got the short end of the stick and got more of the abuse, and his nose too…this fight might’ve taken a lot of years out of Gaethje.”

Fortunately, Gaethje appeared to be in good spirits a few short hours after the devastating setback.

Justin Gaethje statement after Holloway KO

What’s next for ‘The Highlight’ remains to be seen, but as for Holloway, a featherweight title clash with reigning champion Ilia Topuria appears to be the next logical step.