In the immediate aftermath of the head kick heard 'round the MMA world, when Justin Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier on July 29 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to win the BMF title at UFC 291, the man they call 'The Highlight' was focused on just one thing: A championship shot. He figured he'd earned a chance against champion Islam Makhachev.
That was with good reason, too. Gaethje was coming off impressive victories over Porier and Rafael Fiziev and he was not only one of the best lightweights in the world, he ranked at or very near the top in terms of popularity.
Gaethje learned, though, that an in-demand fighter in his position is going to have to do more than simply sit around and wait for a title shot. And so when an offer was presented to him to face former featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 300 on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, he couldn't pass it up.
Holloway is one of the few guys who can hang with Gaethje in terms of being the sport's most exciting fighter. Expectations are so high for their bout that it is only a slight exaggeration to say it would be a disappointment if it were only a Fight of the Night or Fight of the Year. Fans and media are looking at this one as a potential Fight of the Decade.
So for Gaethje, it was an easy choice to say yes when the Holloway offer came in.
"It's always funny how it works," Gaethje said. "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 [Charles Oliveira-Arman Tsarukyan] fight was made, I was pretty confident I was going to get the Makhachev fight because there was nobody left to fight him."
Oliveira defeated Gaethje at UFC 274 on May 7, 2022. Even though Oliveira missed weight in that bout and lost his title on the scale, the UFC felt obligated to give him the next crack at Makhachev.
Then, though, a few things happened. Makhachev got injured and won't be able to fight until around June. Tsarukyan looked outstanding in stopping Beneil Dariush on Dec. 2 in Austin, Texas. So with Makhachev out, the UFC made Oliveira-Tsarukyan and deemed it a No. 1 contender's bout.
While all that was going on, Holloway was campaigning with UFC officials behind the scenes to get a spot at UFC 300.
"I had to be on that card," Holloway said. "I had to be on that one."
And so the bout came together: Gaethje versus Holloway for the BMF belt. It was a win-win for everyone. If Gaethje beats Holloway, it's a significant win over a former champion and future Hall of Famer. Holloway lost three times to featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski and it is hard at this point to give him another shot at 145, though he's basically cleaned out the rest of the division. It made sense for him to get that BMF title shot.
And, of course, it's a win for the fans because if ever there was a fight you could guarantee would be action-packed and bring fans out of their seats, it's this one.
"That fight is sick," UFC CEO Dana White said of Gaethje-Holloway.
The fight with Holloway has Gaethje fired up, and he's in the early stages of a 12-week camp. That, he said, will help him should he face Makhachev whenever Makhachev is healthy enough to defend the belt again.
Now, the UFC declared Oliveira-Tsarukyan a No. 1 contender's fight, and the expectation in that kind of match is that the winner fights for the title next. Oliveira-Tsarukyan is also on the the UFC 300 card and so there will be an easy opportunity for the Gaethje-Holloway winner to prove they deserve a shot at the belt more than the Oliveira-Tsarukyan winner.
That's how Gaethje sees it, anyway.
“I was under the impression that if not for sure a title eliminator that the fight with Dustin Poirier [at UFC 291] was as much a title eliminator as the Tsarukyan and Oliveira fight is,” Gaethje said. “Now, me fighting on the same card as those guys, I’m going to be obviously above them, all four of us, me, Max, Tsarukyan, Oliveira: We've all got a chance to stand out.
“They line me up with Makhachev, that’s 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 and I get to stand out. There’s going to be two contenders coming out that night, so we’ll see what happens after that.”
First, though, he needs to beat Holloway, which is never an easy task, and then he has the added pressure of needing to look good in doing it.
Gaethje has a particular point of emphasis in camp -- his legs -- given what he knows of Holloway and what makes him successful.
"When it comes to being ready for Max Holloway, I mean, he is a cardio machine," Gaethje said. "One. way that he can beat me is to sustain the damage and be able to put more pressure on and out-perform me in Rounds 3, 4 and 5, specifically the championship rounds. Just like any other fighter, the legs go first, so I'm working on my legs. We're working on getting those in shape. My feet are special and when I 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 and I think when you fight awkward -- and you know, he's not awkward in a bad way -- but awkwardness can be such an ally for you. A lot of guys find success with their awkwardness because the way they move is different than they're supposed to move. He creates angles and he's really long. For being 145 pounds, his reach is very long. His ability to counter strike when you're done punching and be on you with pressure and punches is incredible. And his experience is second to none."
The other experience that will be second to none is for the fans watching. There is almost no way this won't be great.
Per Haljestam/USA Today Sports
Justin Gaethje said his legs will be important if he's to defeat Max Holloway