Tag: Justin Gaethje

Islam Makhachev’s coach: ‘Biggest threat’ Justin Gaethje no longer in UFC title picture

Javier Mendez believes UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s most dangerous opponent is out of the way.

Javier Mendez believes UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]’s most dangerous opponent is out of the way.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] lined himself up for a title shot after knocking out Dustin Poirier to claim the BMF title at UFC 291. However, he opted to defend his belt against Max Holloway at UFC 300 and was on the receiving end of a last-second knockout.

Now Mendez isn’t sure if Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) will ever face Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) in a title fight.

“Yeah, to me, the guy out of all the guys that I thought for us stylistically was very dangerous out of all of them, I thought it was Justin Gaethje,” Mendez said on his YouTube channel. “Stylistically because of his wrestling pedigree and his striking is really good, strong.

“It’s all apples and oranges right? Because everybody brings a different skillset, so I thought that he was the biggest threat for us and now he’s probably never going to be in the picture for us going forward. So, no need to talk about him for us as a threat because he’s never going to be there, I think.”

Mendez already had to prep for Gaethje before when Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his title against him. Nurmagomedov submitted him in Round 2 at UFC 254 but lost Round 1 on two of the three judges’ scorecards.

Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the UFC 302 main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Waiting in the wings is Arman Tsarukyan, who edged out Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

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For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Kamaru Usman: Max Holloway’s eye pokes on Justin Gaethje could’ve altered UFC 300 outcome

Kamaru Usman says the potential impact of Max Holloway’s eye pokes on Justin Gaethje can’t be ignored.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] says the potential impact of [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s eye pokes on [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] can’t be ignored.

Usman’s teammate and good friend, Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) was mostly dominated and on the receiving end of a last-second knockout in his BMF title fight against Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) this past Saturday at UFC 300.

Holloway landed a spinning back kick at the end of Round 1, which busted Gaethje’s nose. He also inadvertently poked Gaethje twice in the eye, which Usman said had to have negatively impacted him.

“We can’t shy away from the fact that this man took the kick to the nose,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Was it the end of the first round, just seconds left or if not zero time left, took that kick to the nose, which plays a huge, huge part in potentially moving on in the fight because now you can’t breathe the way you want to breathe in that fight.

“And on top of that, we have to see the two eye pokes. I mean, they were clear-cut legit eye pokes, and it wasn’t that Max was doing it maliciously or on purpose. They happened, and these are the type of things that can alter the outcome of a fight.”

Gaethje was down three rounds to one on two of the three judges’ scorecards. Usman thinks he should have mixed in some wrestling to throw Holloway’s rhythm off.

“I think the place where things kind of might have went sideways is making the necessary adjustments in the fight,” Usman said. “I think Justin is such a freaking good guy, which is why he is your favorite fighter’s favorite fighter. He loves to entertain so much to where it’s, ‘OK, you paid to see this type of fight; I’m going to give you that type of fight.’

“He’s that type of guy and to where I thought he could have made some adjustments. He is a wrestler. This fight is completely different had Justin changed levels and took Max down once or twice, and he can do it. He can 100 percent do it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

UFC 300 video shows Marc Goddard downright in disbelief as Max Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje

Marc Goddard was all of us as one of the most iconic knockouts in UFC history happened right before his eyes.

Marc Goddard had the same reaction we all did when [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] knocked out [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] – even while refereeing the fight.

Goddard was tasked as the third man in the cage for the BMF title fight between Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) and Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), which took place Saturday at UFC 300 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Holloway was in firm control of the fight until he decided to risk it all in the final 10 seconds when he pointed to the middle of the octagon and invited Gaethje to throw down. The pair got into some wild exchanges until Holloway knocked Gaethje out cold with just one second remaining.

Everyone in the arena lost their minds, and Goddard couldn’t help himself either. He wished everyone got to see his reaction, and the UFC granted that wish. Check out Goddard’s reaction below!

Goddard also had this to say about Holloway’s iconic moment.

“I’m still speechless. Still have goosebumps. Both of these guys are the epitome of our sport. Sheer class. What a privilege.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 300 review, Holloway wins BMF title, Makhachev & McGregor return, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses the fallout of UFC 300 including, Holloway’s BMF win, McGregor’s return, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate everything around UFC 300:

  • The UFC reached its 300th pay-per-view event, a big milestone for the Las Vegas-based promotion. Where does this massive event rank in UFC history? On paper, it was a great card, and it delivered as promised.
  • [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] arguably made the biggest statement on Saturday night. The former UFC featherweight champion knocked out [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] in brutal fashion with one second remaining in the fight for the BMF title. So what’s next for Holloway? Should he stay at 155 pounds or go back to 145? Holloway has many options after this career-defining win.
  • On top of Holloway’s win, there were several other important lightweight bouts, as well as other lightweight bookings announced: [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] defeated former champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag], [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] stopped Jalin Turner and [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] picked apart Jim Miller. Additionally, the [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] title defense vs. [autotag]Dutin Poirier[/autotag] was made official, along with the return of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], who faces lightweight standout [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] in a welterweight bout. Big news and results that heavily impact the UFC lightweight division.
  • In the main event of UFC 300, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] successfully defended his light heavyweight belt for the very first time, knocking out [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]. It was a huge win for the Brazilian, who requested a heavyweight fight in a quick turnaround at UFC 301 in Brazil next month.
  • In the other undisputed title fight, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] defended her UFC strawweight belt against fellow Chinese fighter [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag]. It was a solid showing by Weili, who logged the second title defense of her second championship reign.
  • [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] made a huge splash on Saturday night. In a dominant showing, she submitted former champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag], a victory that even caught the attention of former two-division UFC champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]. What’s next for Harrison? Is she a future UFC champion? We unpack it all.
  • Lastly, several other big storylines went down at UFC 300. The panel quickly reviews [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s featherweight debut, [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s submission win, [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]’ most recent first-round finish and more.

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UFC 300 bonuses: Max Holloway gets unthinkable double for $600,000

The UFC handed out bonuses in record amounts after Saturday’s card, including a pair to an all-time legend.

The UFC handed out bonuses in record amounts after Saturday’s card, including a pair to an all-time legend.

After UFC 300, three fighters picked up an extra $300,000 for their performances in Las Vegas – and one double-dipped for $600K. Check out the winners below.

Max Holloway def. Justin Gaethje for ‘BMF’ title at UFC 300: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Max Holloway’s fifth-round knockout win over Justin Gaethje to win the “BMF” title at UFC 300.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s fifth-round knockout win over [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] to win the “BMF” title at UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos by Mark J. Rebilas, USA Today Sports and Carmen Mandato, Getty Images)

UFC 300 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Headliner Jamahal Hill works on a slick 1/1 piece of memorabilia

In the fourth episode of UFC 300 “Embedded,” Jamahal Hill gets autographs from the fighters on the card – including his champ opponent.

One of the most highly anticipated fight weeks in UFC history is here with UFC 300, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) puts that belt on the line for the first time against former champ [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who vacated the title six months after he won it due to injury.

In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC). The bout is the first all-China title fight in UFC history.

The “BMF” belt is on the line between current titleholder [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and former longtime featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC), who is moving up to lightweight for the bout.

Plus, UFC 300 features the promotional debut of two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against former women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and five other former UFC champions on arguably the most stacked card in company history.

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Bobby Green, Charles Oliveira, Xiaonan Yan and Jamahal Hill carve out time to train. Holly Holm goes coffee hunting. Fighter check in at UFC Apex, and headliner Hill gets autographs – including one from foe Alex Pereira.

Also watch:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Mark Coleman: Presenting BMF title at UFC 300 would be ‘icing on the cake’ following event invitation

Mark Coleman doesn’t expect to wraps the BMF title around the Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway winner at UFC 300, but would happily do it.

[autotag]Mark Coleman[/autotag] doesn’t think it’s essential he wraps the BMF title around the [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] winner at UFC 300, but would happily do it if asked.

Gaethje (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) and Holloway (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) both told MMA Junkie recently that they are all for the idea of Coleman presenting the BMF belt to the winner of Saturday’s featured bout at T-Mobile Arena (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). It was an idea first shared by Holloway, who said Coleman is the “real life BMF” after saving his parents from a near-fatal house fire this past month in Ohio.

Coleman revealed shortly after Holloway’s comments that he and his daughters were already invited to the event prior, but he was honored to hear both men share such definitive comments about continuing the tradition of someone special giving out the belt.

“No, they planned on bringing me and my daughters in (already), which that was Dana White stepped right up,” Coleman told MMA Junkie in his first interview since the fire. “But then a couple days later, I see Max Holloway, who I’m a super fan of this sport, and I got respect for all these guys, but I’ve rode on the bus a couple times with Max and his little boy. I just love that guy.

“This BMF belt, it’s gaining a lot of steam with this fight right here, because you talk about two Bad Mother Freakers – Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway, they optimize BMFs. When I see them do that it just brought a tear to my eye. Just grateful. Can’t believe. Just can’t believe. Then Gaethje came out and said the same thing.”

Coleman, a UFC Hall of Famer, said he’s had no correspondence from the UFC brass about whether he will be brought into the cage at the conclusion of Gaethje vs. Holloway. He would happily do it, but will not get on the plane to travel to “Sin City” with any expectations that will happen.

“I don’t think I’m going to do it,” Coleman said. “I don’t think they’re going to ask me to do it, which I don’t expect them too. But they are bringing me in. They are treating me very well. I love UFC. I am a company man. It’s the greatest sport in the world.

“They probably already have plans and you can’t be messing up plans. It’d be just unbelievable. I can’t imagine. Just being there with some nice cageside seats with my daughter. I’m stoked. If I end up putting the belt on them or whatever else, that’s just icing on the cake. I’m just happy to be there because this is the biggest, baddest, greatest card ever put together and I’m excited about the very first prelim.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

UFC 300’s Justin Gaethje admits ‘I don’t usually plan on being alive the day after my fights’

Justin Gaethje gave a very cold and very BMF answer when talking about the future at UFC 300 media day.

LAS VEGAS – While much of the MMA community speculates and focuses on the future and road maps toward big fights and UFC gold, [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] is solely focused on the present.

The current task is a monumental one, as Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) fights Max Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) in a BMF title fight Saturday at UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena.

“I know with a win here, I fight for the (lightweight) belt,” Gaethje told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I know with a loss here, that all goes away. That’s what I’m fighting for.”

The stakes of a “BMF” title fight are anyone’s guess. This will be the third in the promotion’s history and the first time the title isn’t vacant going into the fight. With UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev unbooked, Dustin Poirier coming off a knockout win, and Gaethje sharing the UFC 300 card with Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan, the division is buzzing but its title picture clouded.

Gaethje sees that as a problem to figure out later.

“I’m a quarter-mile at a time kind of guy,” Gaethje said. “I do not look too far ahead. Honestly, I have no clue what the future holds. I don’t usually plan on being alive the day after my fights, so hopefully I’m there on Sunday.

“… I don’t play what-ifs, but you don’t pass up a championship opportunity. I do want my time (off). I do think June would probably be impossible for me, as every time I fight is a traumatic life experience. I need to go home and unwind, take care of my body, take care of my head. But I have coaches and a manager who ultimately make those decisions, so if they say, ‘Go,’ I go.”

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Gaethje, 35, has won back-to-back fights over Rafael Fiziev and Dustin Poirier, but hasn’t competed since July 2023. He’s 7-2 in his most recent nine outings with the only two losses title shot opportunities against Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

UFC 300 ‘Embedded,’ No. 3: ‘Just win, baby’

In the third installment of UFC 300 “Embedded,” Max Holloway gets a VIP tour of the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.

One of the most highly anticipated fight weeks in UFC history is here with UFC 300, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the headliner, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) puts that belt on the line for the first time against former champ [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who vacated the title six months after he won it due to injury.

In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) takes on [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC). The bout is the first all-China title fight in UFC history.

The “BMF” belt is on the line between current titleholder [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and former longtime featherweight champ [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC), who is moving up to lightweight for the bout.

Plus, UFC 300 features the promotional debut of two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time PFL champ [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) against former women’s bantamweight champ [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and five other former UFC champions on arguably the most stacked card in company history.

The third episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champ Alex Pereira teaches Nina Drama footwork. Diego Lopes shops from the shoes up. Calvin Kattar stays sharp. Max Holloway tours a Vegas landmark. Kayla Harrison, Bo Nickal and champ Zhang Weili get in PI time. Justin Gaethje appreciates his team.

Also watch:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.