The ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ title has found a new owner in Max Holloway.
The rare silver UFC belt came into existence in 2019 as Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz went to war at UFC 244. It was Masvidal who won the inaugural title of ‘BMF’ with a doctor stoppage TKO of Diaz. Since then, we’ve seen Justin Gaethje earn the title against Dustin Poirier, later losing it to Holloway at UFC 300.
Every BMF title fight so far has ended in a crazy finish that nobody would have expected and Holloway’s fight against Gaethje was just that. En route to the judges’ scorecards, “Blessed” gave it all he had in the final stretch of the fight, pointing to the ground to initiate a slug fest of the highest order.
Masvidal Praises Holloway’s Performance At UFC 300
Holloway would end up knocking out Gaethje, sending him face-first to the canvas with one second to go in the fight.
“That’s A BMF,” Masvidal said of Holloway on ‘The MMA Hour‘. “He understands that the code of the BMF, like one of us here gotta be no longer on their feet when this bell rings, man. One BMF has the fastest knockout and the other BMF has like the latest knockout in a fight. It’s The greatest f****** thing ever.
Masvidal, retired from MMA, made sure to remind the fans of his five-second knockout of Ben Askren that earned him his shot at the BMF title in 2019.
Holloway Was Already ‘Up’ In The Fight
After winning three rounds prior, Holloway didn’t have to throw caution to the wind, especially with the last seconds ticking away on the clock. But, he did anyways and the gamble ultimately paid off. That’s what makes him the current BMF in the sport as Masvidal recaps.
“Going through that battle, he’s up [on the scorecards]. Worst case scenario, it’s 3-2. But he’s f****** clearly winning the fight. In my book, Gaethje had some moments, but he was never like in control and winning the fight. So, for him to do that little point, like when that dude points to the ground, wherever the f***, you become an Olympic track sprinter. Do the opposite. Don’t f****** engage it. He’s everybody’s favorite fighter. He’s all fighter’s favorite fighter. I’ve always loved Max.”
No Love Lost Between Gaethje & Masvidal
As for Justin Gaethje? “Gamebred” isn’t so much a fan of his BMF successor and neither is Gaethje. Masvidal put the title on his shoulder after he knocked out his teammate Dustin Poirier with a headkick at UFC 291. Closer to the first-ever BMF title defense in Gaethje vs. Holloway, Masvidal reckoned he’d break Gaethje’s eye orbital (via LowKick MMA).
“The Highlight” clapped back in a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, citing:
“Nothing was more special than seeing all that mist come off his face when f****** Kamaru put a hole through it, that was one of my favorite nights. He’s fat as f****, I fight at 155lbs so he can f*** off.”
Masvidal Snaps At ‘CTE Homer Simpson’ Justin Gaethje
In the aftermath of UFC 300, Jorge Masvidal absolutely goes off on Justin Gaethje and thinks a fight between them is a cake walk.
“That guy’s like f****** homer Simpson, CTE’d down,” Masvidal said of Gaethje on ‘The MMA Hour’. “I don’t wanna talk too much s*** about him ’cause he just got f****** flatlined. So, I’m hoping our paths crossed in the UFC ’cause this would be like a very good comeback fight for me. Easy fight for me. I mean, he’s literally just walking forward eating shots, no head movement, no nothing. So, it is definitely a guy I’d love to f****** stick my face through. Nothing personal.
“Obviously he seems like he’s a little personal that I make picks and stuff. But I would love to bust f****** Gaethje’s face up. Let him heal for this ’cause he might never come back the same. Because that was a war that he went through and then on top of that, he got f****** executed. So, Gaethje can say whatever f*** he wants, but I really like, I’m not giving a f*** about it. But if our paths do cross paths, I light that motherf*****r up.
Jorge Masvidal has not fought in the Octagon since a decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 in 2023. The UFC veteran decided to hang up the gloves following two straight defeats only to return to combat sports later this year in a boxing match against his BMF title competitor Nate Diaz.
Watch Jorge Masvidal’s full interview below:
