Justin Gaethje was hoping to fight for the lightweight championship in his next Octagon appearance, but a BMF title fight with Max Holloway is a good consolation prize.
Speaking with Kevin Iole during a recent interview, Gaethje revealed that he fully expected to compete against the promotion’s reigning 155-pound king, Islam Makhachev, in his next fight. But with the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ not eyeing a comeback until the summer, it left ‘The Highlight’ with no choice, but to move on. For now.
“Once the Oliveira/Tsarukyan fight was announced, I was really confident I was going to get the Makhachev fight since there was nobody else to fight him and he was tweeting that he wanted to fight me,” Gaethje said. “I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe an injury or something, but he’s not going to fight until June or July.”
Instead, Justin Gaethje will put his BMF belt on the line when he meets former featherweight world champion and division staple, Max Holloway. The bout is scheduled to go down on April 13 when UFC 300 emanates from Las, Vegas.
Like Gaethje, Holloway is regarded as one of the best strikers in the business. Asked about his game planning for the highly anticipated showdown, ‘The Highlight’ revealed that his focus throughout training camp will be on cardio and improving his ability to make it through the later rounds where ‘Blessed’ typically shines.
“He is a cardio machine,” Gaethje said. “One way that he can beat me is to be able to sustain damage and put on pressure and outperform me in rounds three, four, and five. Specifically the championship rounds. Like any other fight, the legs go first so I’m working on my legs. Working on getting those in shape. My feet are special and when I can control someone’s feet, it’s very hard for them to hit me.
“Max is one of the best fighters in the UFC. He’s very awkward, but not in a bad way. Awkwardness can be such an ally for you in there and a lot of guys find success with their awkwardness. The way they move differently than they’re supposed to. He creates angles and he’s really long. For being 145 pounds, his reach is very long. His ability to counterstrike with pressure and punches is incredible. And his experience is second to none.”
Max Holloway currently sits in the No. 1 spot in the featherweight rankings. However, after coming up short against the division’s reigning king, Alexander Volkanovski, on three separate occasions over the last four years, ‘Blessed’ found himself in a bit of a holding pattern. That was until the promotion came calling with a fight that Gaethje says he unintentionally willed into existence.
“I kind of talked this into existence on accident,” Gaethje added. “I said I didn’t want to punch Max Holloway, but that he’s also a guy who could fight for the BMF belt. That turned into me having to punch Max Holloway. That’s the name of the game and I am the best in the world at creating damage.”
Justin Gaethje Looks at the UFC 299 Scrap Between Former Foe Dustin Poirier and Rising Contender Benoit Saint-Denis
Justin Gaethje claimed the BMF title in a long-awaited rematch with fellow lightweight fan favorite Dustin Poirier in July. After suffering a fourth-round TKO against ‘The Diamond’ in their first meeting, ‘The Highlight’ lived up to his moniker, delivering a brilliantly timed head kick 60 seconds into the second round that sent Poirier crashing to the canvas.
“I was just as surprised as everybody else to be honest with you,” Gaethje said of his head kick KO against Poirier. “Clearly, the skill was there. I’ve had the ability for a long time, but to have the confidence that you can do something is a completely different story. I just never thought I could do that. I never even thought of kicking him in the head. It just happened.”
A month before Gaethje and Holloway are set to set the world on fire, Dustin Poirier will look to bounce back when he meets rising contender Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 on March 9. Saint-Denis is riding a five-fight win streak and has looked fairly spectacular inside the Octagon thus far. But Poirier will represent a huge step up in competition for the Frenchman.
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Discussing Saint-Denis’ chances of entering the upper echelon of lightweight contenders, Justin Gaethje believes the ‘God of War’ has a prime opportunity to make a statement and show the world that he’s ready to fight the best of the best.
“It’s such a crazy sport,” Gaethje said. “I think luck and chance is a factor. I’m not sure how big of a factor, but I absolutely believe he could. His skill is up there. It’s a very similar situation to when I fought [Rafael] Fiziev. He was an up-and-comer full of confidence. Full of hunger. Obviously, not sleeping on silk sheets yet. Poirier is and I was and these guys are dangerous. They’re young, they’re hungry, they’re confident, and they got crazy skills.
“Fighting is a dangerous game and chance is a factor. Benoit didn’t come out of nowhere, but he’s just starting to fight these big fights. I love that he was calling me out and I think Dustin Poirier is the perfect fight. That’s who he should have been calling out and that’s the fight he should be taking.”
Watch the full interview below:
