UFC BMF Champion Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje is expecting a war when he faces Max Holloway at UFC 300.
Gaethje will put his BMF belt on the line when the two meet at 155lbs in the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas on April 13th. Every bout announced for the card so far has been received well, but this has appeared to be a particular favourite amongst fans.
Speaking to Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA and previewing the contest, Gaethje is excited not only for the fight itself on such a monumental card, but what a victory over Holloway could lead to. He said:
"I’m pumped, I fight for a living. You know, I love being under those lights, especially (the) UFC 300 card, something this historic. You know, against a veteran and a legit legend like Max Holloway. So, yeah, it's a great opportunity. These are the good old days. You know, these are great stories I'm going to be able to tell. And, yeah, I mean, all four of us, me, Oliveira, Tsarukyan, Max Holloway, we're all going to fight on the same night.
“There's going to be two contenders come out that night and I think Makhachev is looking to fight twice. So I think both guys that get a win, are going to fight him this year. Who fights him first? I'll worry about that April 14th, getting a win is the only thing that matters right now. So I think it's a good opportunity for all of us, especially for me.
“I was going to get passed up, now I got a chance to go out there and have a say in it. And so, yeah, I'm excited about it.”
Holloway holds an incredible statistic of never being finished with strikes so far in his 14 year career. When questioned as to what he believes this is down to, Gaethje feels like the sheer amount of cage time his opponent has had, plays a monumental factor in his durability. He said:
"It's your ability to see punches first. Being in a semi relaxed state when those strikes are landing, seeing it and rolling with the punches... be like water. Bruce Lee said it, nobody knows what it means but you can feel it when you're in there.
“The amount of experience he has had in that cage allows him to be comfortable. If you're scared you're going to hesitate, if you hesitate, you're going to get knocked out. He's not scared. He accepts whatever is going to happen and he believes that he can see the shots. You have got to be able to trust you can see the shots and if you're seeing the shots, then you have to trust it.
“Until that one lands and you have no idea but you don't go in there and worry about that. He's not worried about getting knocked out, he wants to be the best boxer in the UFC and he is out there performing. I don't think it has anything to do with physical traits. I think it is your ability to see the shots coming.”
'The Highlight’ is an extremely apt nickname for Gaethje, having delivered time and time again on his way to, and throughout his time in the UFC, often rendering his opponents unconscious to seal the win. Although Holloway is yet to be stopped, Gaethje can’t see a reason as to why he couldn’t be the first.
“I have 25 wins, I have 20 knockouts. I am pretty proud of that. That's one thing that I have tried to sustain through my career, purposely. So that's something I am shooting for. Same thing with Tony Ferguson. Nobody had ever finished him. I didn't knock him out in a traditional way but I certainly created enough damage and caused enough damage for that fight to be rightfully stopped.
"This could be a war. You know, this could be a battle of attrition. You know, if I can't find him, I can't hurt him.
“He never stops and he's constantly creating angles and constantly creating pressure and it could be a tough fight. You know, if I can’t find his timing early, momentum is everything in there, so the game that we play from the start and we're trying to win that momentum and gain momentum and keep momentum the whole time so we'll see how it goes down."
