Max Holloway eyeing lightweight title fight with win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300: ‘It would be a fun one’

MixCollage 03 Apr 2024 01 45 PM 9390With a win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, Max Holloway isn’t ruling out the possibility of a fight…

MixCollage 03 Apr 2024 01 45 PM 9390

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.

Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway at UFC 300

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.

“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.

Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier

‘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.

Justin Gaethje

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.”

UFC 300’s Deiveson Figueiredo gunning for a KO against ‘mentally fragile’ Cody Garbrant: ‘He doesn’t have a good head’

UFC 300's Deiveson Figueiredo gunning for a knockout against 'mentally fragile' Cody GarbrantDeiveson Figueiredo plans to exploit Cody Garbrandt’s “mentally fragile” state when the former champs clash at UFC 300. Garbrandt…

UFC 300's Deiveson Figueiredo gunning for a knockout against 'mentally fragile' Cody Garbrant

Deiveson Figueiredo plans to exploit Cody Garbrandt’s “mentally fragile” state when the former champs clash at UFC 300.

Garbrandt suffered four brutal knockouts over the span of four years, going 1-5 in the process. According to Figueiredo, that string of devastating losses has left ‘No Love’ a shell of his former self.

“We see he’s mentally fragile,” Figueiredo said of Garbrandt during a recent interview with MMA Fighting. “He doesn’t have a good head. We see he hasn’t come back after having a few losses, right?”

Cody Garbrandt vs. Kai Kara-France

Garbrandt climbed to the top of the bantamweight division in 2016, claiming the undisputed strap with a brilliant performance against Dominick Cruz at UFC 207. He followed that up with three consecutive knockout losses, including back-to-back defeats against T.J. Dillashaw and a first-round KO to Pedro Munhoz.

He has since bounced back, winning a unanimous decision against Trevin Jones before face-planting Brian Kelleher in the first round of their UFC 296 scrap.

Cody Garbrandt vs. Brian Kelleher

“Every athlete fears getting touched,” Figueiredo continued. “Many fighters like the in-fight but crumble when a hand lands. You have to be a badass, you need a strong mind to come back again. I think I’ll affect his mind by touching him, and he’s going to respect me more.”

Deiveson Figueiredo plans on sending Cody Garbrandt home early on April 13

After closing out his classic quadrilogy with Brandon Moreno at the top of the flyweight division, Figueiredo made the move to bantamweight, dispatching Rob Font in his divisional debut late last year. Gunning for a shot at the 135-pound crown, ‘Deus da Guerra’ plans to make a statement when he and Garbrandt lead off the biggest UFC card of all time.

“I really want the knockout in this fight,” Figueiredo said. “This fight could lead me to a title, so I want to impress. It’s going to be an incredible fight. Cody moves a lot and gives his all in the first round, and I have that same aggressive style. It’s going to be an intense fight.”

Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300

Check out the official trailer for UFC 300 below:

Video – Ex-UFC champ Aljamain Sterling ready to throw hands in prank gone wrong: ‘Stop playing with me’

Video - Ex-UFC champ Aljamain Sterling ready to throw hands in prank gone wrong: 'Stop playing with me, man'A prank on former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling nearly turned disastrous. In the video clip, which you can…

Video - Ex-UFC champ Aljamain Sterling ready to throw hands in prank gone wrong: 'Stop playing with me, man'

A prank on former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling nearly turned disastrous.

In the video clip, which you can see below, Sterling is sitting at a table, minding his business, and scrolling through his phone when another individual wearing a VR headset approaches and mistakes him for a woman.

Clearly, the ‘Funk Master’ was in no mood for shenanigans. And as expected, the comments from UFC fans on X did not disappoint.

Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling gearing up for his featherweight debut at UFC 300

After surrendering the bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 last August, Aljamain Sterling is ready to conquer a new division. On Saturday, April 13, the ‘Funk Master’ will make his featherweight debut as a part of the promotion’s loaded UFC 300 card in Las Vegas. Welcoming Sterling to the division will be Calvin Kattar.

It will be Kattar’s first fight since suffering an injury against Arnold Allen in October 2022. ‘The Boston Finisher’ goes into the bout having lost three of his last four. Despite that, he’s still holding strong at No. 7 in the division.

Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar

Video – New UFC 300 promo lands featuring failed dream fights, fans lament Khabib – Ferguson inclusion

New UFC 300 promo releases featuring failed dream fights fans criticize Khabib - Ferguson inclusionAhead of next month’s massive UFC 300 card in Las Vegas, the promotion released a new promotional video ahead…

New UFC 300 promo releases featuring failed dream fights fans criticize Khabib - Ferguson inclusion

Ahead of next month’s massive UFC 300 card in Las Vegas, the promotion released a new promotional video ahead of the event – featuring a slew of dream fights that never happened, including event headliner, Alex Pereira against the late knockout artist, Anthony Johnson, and a disappointingly failed clash of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

Tony Ferguson reveals a little part of him left MMA when Khabib Nurmagomedov retired UFC
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari – Zuffa LLC

Returning to a pay-per-view schedule next month with a monumental UFC 300 card, the promotion fields three championship fights on the main card, with the above-mentioned, Pereira meeting Jamahal Hill, Zhang Weili tackling Yan Xiaonan for strawweight spoils, while Justin Gaethje defends BMF title honors against Max Holloway.

New promotional video for UFC 300 releases overnight

Also featured on the stacked card are the likes of Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, Jiri Prochazka, Aleksandar Rakic, Aljamain Sterling, Holly Holm, Kayla Harrison, Jim Miller, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Cody Garbrandt to name a few.

Alex Pereira agrees deal to fight at UFC 301 in Brazil title fight just 21 days after UFC 300 return
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

And during last night’s broadcast at UFC Atlantic City, the organization released a new promotional video ahead of UFC 300 – previewing a slew of failed dream fights, much to fan interest, and criticizm to boot.

Amongst the inclusion of Khabib’s failed title fight with Ferguson, fans also saw hypothetical in-fight action and pre-fight faces offs of Daniel Cormier x Mark Coleman, welterweight greats, Matt Hughes x Kamaru Usman, Joanna Jedrzejczyk against current flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, renowned star, Chuck Liddell against Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey against Valentina Shevchenko, Frank Mir x Tom Aspinall, B.J. Penn versus Max Holloway, and a middleweight clash of fan-favorite, Nick Diaz and ex-champion, Sean Strickland

Arman Tsarukyan unfazed by Charles Oliveira ahead of UFC 300 fight he's nothing special
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Bottari – Zuffa LLC

With UFC 300 just two weeks out ahead of a return to the Apex facility next month for a headlining rematch between Brendan Allen, and Chris Curtis, fan expectation is through the roof on a much scrutinized card in ‘Sin City’.

Are you excited to take in UFC 300 in two weeks?

Jamahal Hill offers to fight Jiri Prochazka with title victory at UFC 300: ‘I feel like his value is still there’

Jamahal Hill offers Jiri Prochazka title fight after UFC 300 his value is still thereSlated to headline UFC 300 in two weeks’ time against current light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, former champion, Jamahal…

Jamahal Hill offers Jiri Prochazka title fight after UFC 300 his value is still there

Slated to headline UFC 300 in two weeks’ time against current light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, former champion, Jamahal Hill has offered to meet fellow former gold holder, Jiri Prochazka in an immediate title defense, if the pair win their respective clashes at the flagship event.

Hill, the first product of Dana White’s Contender Series to win Octagon spoils, did so in January of last year with a unanimous decision win over the above-mentioned Pereira’s close friend and training partner, Glover Teixeira on enemy territory in Brazil.

Jamahal Hill warns Tom Aspinall after UFC 295 title win I wanna go up to heavyweight

As for Prochazka, the Czech Republic native returned from a catastrophic shoulder injury last November in a vacant title fight against Pereira, dropping a second round knockout loss to the former middleweight champion.

Jamahal Hill offers Jiri Prochazka a title tilt after UFC 300

And sharing the card with Hill in a potential title-eliminator against the returning Aleksandar Rakic, Prochazka has been hypothetically offered a chance at gold once more by Hill – if he manages to usurp Pereira at UFC 300.

Jiri Prochazka reveals staph infection ahead of UFC 295 title fight I could only train for one week
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

“I think if Jiri (Prochazka) goes out and he knocks (Aleksandar) Rakic out in an impressive fashion and has a good performance, that’s still a fight that I want, I still want that fight, but it’s got to make sense,” Jamahal Hill said during an interview with ex-UFC middleweight champion, Michael Bisping.

“I feel like his value is still there and I feel like that fight is still a great fight,” Jamahal Hill explained. Him or Magomed (Ankalaev) – Magomed’s there, he’s waiting.” 

Relinquishing his championship officially in November, Illinois native, Hill had been sidelined through a ruptured achilles injury, suffered in a pick-up basketball game alongside UFC veterans and fellow fighters during an event at International Fight Week in July. 

Himself also defeating Teixeira to win light heavyweight spoils, Prochazka, a former Rizin FF champion submitted the Brazilian with a rallying fifth round rear-naked choke win in the pair’s main event title showdown in Singapore two years ago. 

Predicting a dominant win over Pereira in their flagship headliner, Hill boldly claims the judges can simply leave the T-Mobile Arena after the close of the night’s co-headliner between Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan. 

Who wins in a future title fight: Jamahal Hill or Jiri Prochazka?

Jamahal Hill offers to fight Jiri Prochazka with title victory at UFC 300: ‘I feel like his value is still there’

Jamahal Hill offers Jiri Prochazka title fight after UFC 300 his value is still thereSlated to headline UFC 300 in two weeks’ time against current light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, former champion, Jamahal…

Jamahal Hill offers Jiri Prochazka title fight after UFC 300 his value is still there

Slated to headline UFC 300 in two weeks’ time against current light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, former champion, Jamahal Hill has offered to meet fellow former gold holder, Jiri Prochazka in an immediate title defense, if the pair win their respective clashes at the flagship event.

Hill, the first product of Dana White’s Contender Series to win Octagon spoils, did so in January of last year with a unanimous decision win over the above-mentioned Pereira’s close friend and training partner, Glover Teixeira on enemy territory in Brazil.

Jamahal Hill warns Tom Aspinall after UFC 295 title win I wanna go up to heavyweight

As for Prochazka, the Czech Republic native returned from a catastrophic shoulder injury last November in a vacant title fight against Pereira, dropping a second round knockout loss to the former middleweight champion.

Jamahal Hill offers Jiri Prochazka a title tilt after UFC 300

And sharing the card with Hill in a potential title-eliminator against the returning Aleksandar Rakic, Prochazka has been hypothetically offered a chance at gold once more by Hill – if he manages to usurp Pereira at UFC 300.

Jiri Prochazka reveals staph infection ahead of UFC 295 title fight I could only train for one week
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

“I think if Jiri (Prochazka) goes out and he knocks (Aleksandar) Rakic out in an impressive fashion and has a good performance, that’s still a fight that I want, I still want that fight, but it’s got to make sense,” Jamahal Hill said during an interview with ex-UFC middleweight champion, Michael Bisping.

“I feel like his value is still there and I feel like that fight is still a great fight,” Jamahal Hill explained. Him or Magomed (Ankalaev) – Magomed’s there, he’s waiting.” 

Relinquishing his championship officially in November, Illinois native, Hill had been sidelined through a ruptured achilles injury, suffered in a pick-up basketball game alongside UFC veterans and fellow fighters during an event at International Fight Week in July. 

Himself also defeating Teixeira to win light heavyweight spoils, Prochazka, a former Rizin FF champion submitted the Brazilian with a rallying fifth round rear-naked choke win in the pair’s main event title showdown in Singapore two years ago. 

Predicting a dominant win over Pereira in their flagship headliner, Hill boldly claims the judges can simply leave the T-Mobile Arena after the close of the night’s co-headliner between Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan. 

Who wins in a future title fight: Jamahal Hill or Jiri Prochazka?