UFC 300 has had yet another outstanding bout added to it, with Justin Gaethje looking to defend his BMF belt against Max Holloway over 5 rounds, in a Lightweight bout.
Both men are known for their toughness, slick striking and incredible finish rates, this is the perfect addition to the ever growing UFC 300 card and could well be the people’s main event.
In a video released across his social media, UFC CEO Dana White announced the Lightweight war after confirming that Jim Miller will also feature on the card against Bobby Green! Discussing the Gaethje vs Holloway contest, he said:
“50 wins between them. 34 finishes. Two of the best strikers in the sport. Two of the most durable fighters in the sport. Two of the most aggressive guys in the sport. Gaethje destroys all guys with leg kicks and power in both hands. Max is regarded by many to be the best boxer in the UFC and has made many top 10 guys look like they don’t even belong there with him. Two of the all time greats in their division and this fight will be 5 rounds for the BMF title. “
It’s difficult to think of the last time Gaethje competed and fans weren’t on the edge of their seats from the first touch of gloves, with ‘The Highlight’ without doubt one of the most apt nicknames in the whole of the sport.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Gaethje following his tenure with the World Series of fighting, which led to him facing the number five ranked Michael Johnson in his promotional debut with the UFC in 2017. The hype train continued to roll on when Gaethje came out on top in the back and forth bout, stopping Johnson in the second round.
It looked as though the train may be derailed when Gaethje took back to back defeats against Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier but he got things back on track with three first round stoppages against James Vick, Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone before becoming the Interim Lightweight champion and the first man to beat Tony Ferguson since 2012, when the two faced each other at UFC 249.
Gaethje has gone 3-2 in his last five, with every fight being as fascinating as you’d expect. After a second round defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in his attempt to unify the division, ‘The Highlight’ faced Michael Chandler. It is rare a bout has so much anticipation prior to, yet still manages to surpass expectations. The two went to war over 15 minutes, with Gaethje getting the unanimous decision win. He was straight back into the title frame but came up short against Charles Oliveira at UFC 274. A victory over Rafael Fiziev then led to a showdown for the BMF belt against Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.
The two first met in 2018 in a contest many deem to be one of the greatest to ever take place at 155lbs. The rematch lived up to the billing as Gaethje and Poirier picked up where they left off, trading extremely heavy blows, with neither man backing down. ‘The Highlight’ righted the wrongs of the first bout and stopped Poirier in the fourth round.
Holloway signed with the UFC back in 2012 as a 4-0 novice and quickly learnt how high the standard of competition was, dropping a first round submission loss to Dustin Poirier in his promotional debut. After building a three fight winning streak, ‘Blessed’ was then dealt back to back losses against Dennis Bermudez and Conor McGregor. It would be almost 6 years until Holloway found himself on the wrong side of a result again. Hitting an incredible run, the Hawaiian native went unbeaten in 13, picking up the UFC Featherweight title and successfully defending it twice in the process.
Holloway then stepped up to Lightweight looking to claim the interim title at 155lbs and avenge his loss to Dustin Poirier. It wasn't meant to be for ‘Blessed’ who fell short over the 5 round affair. Yet another title defence, over MMA legend Frankie Edgar, led to the first of three fights against Alexander Volkanovski. Two enthralling bouts ensued with Volk taking a unanimous decision then a split decision over and taking the title from Holloway.
Holloway returned to the sport with a vengeance in a one sided beatdown of Calvlin Kattar in the January of 2021 before defeating Yair Rodriguez in the November. The back to back victories set up a trilogy with Volkanovski for the Featherweight strap but once again, the New Zealand man had the edge over 5 rounds, retained his belt and walked away with a unanimous decision victory.
Blessed has since returned to winning ways, beating Arnold Allen and Chan Sung Jung in 2023.
In terms of fights fans dream of, Gaethje vs Holloway is up there. With the added jeopardy of the BMF title being on the line, it is clear that both men will put everything on the line to become the new BMF champion and walk away with the belt as well as the bragging rights.
