Tag: Justin Gaethje

Why Alexander Volkanovski gives Max Holloway a ‘massive chance’ to beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 300

Alexander Volkanovski had a hard time picking between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway but eventually settled on a winner at UFC 300.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] had a hard time picking between [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] and [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], but he eventually settled on a winner.

Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) will be a slight underdog when he challenges BMF champion Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in a lightweight bout Saturday at UFC 300 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Volkanovski initially picked Gaethje, but he’s seen a change in fellow former featherweight champ Holloway’s approach after competing against him three times.

“The way some people were talking, I thought maybe they were going to have – you can’t have bad odds on Max Holloway,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “A lot of people are sitting there like, ‘Justin Gaethje, rah, rah, rah.’ Did we forget Max Holloway’s chin? Have we seen him in his last fights? The guy knows how to mix it up. He used to be more hittable back in the day.

“He was always very, very high level, really good at setting up traps but willing to be in front of you and eat some while he’s doing so. Now he’s got a lot more angles. He uses so many more tools. Man, this is going to be an exciting fight. I just don’t think people are expecting Max to come forward and do how he used to be, and Gaethje to just throw some massive bombs. Like them big leg kicks being there. You’re probably going to see muay Thai Max again.”

Volkanovski doesn’t understand why Holloway is being counted out. The former featherweight champion has never been knocked out – even when he went five rounds with Dustin Poirier in their interim lightweight title fight at UFC 236.

“Max is the underdog here, and I think a lot of people are counting him out, and I don’t know why,” Volkanovski said. “I think it’s purely because he’s moving up against a powerful dude like Justin Gaethje, which is fair enough. We can’t forget Max Holloway’s chin. I think it’s just an undefeated chin. It really is (laughs). I’ve tried cracking it. Many people have tried cracking it, and thinking is Justin Gaethje going to be the guy to finish it, I don’t know. It’s hard for me. I’ve said that a few times, and it just doesn’t happen. We’ve seen him be cracked. A couple of Max Holloway’s last fights, he didn’t get hit as much, but he still got cracked with some big shots, ate them like a champ.

“Gaethje’s been five rounds, and we’ve seen him do well in the later rounds. He can go five rounds, but the pace that Max Holloway’s still going to bring, because he’s still going to be there to be hit. Max Holloway will still be there to be hit or to make it a fight. We know Gaethje likes to throw bombs. Can he zap a bit of the life out of Gaethje? I think so. You know Max ain’t going to tire. Five rounder. Look, man, I have to lean towards Gaethje, but man, I thought the odds were going to be worse. The way people are talking, acting like Max doesn’t stand a chance, you’re wrong. He has a massive chance in this.”

Volkanovski decided to settle on Holloway for his final prediction.

“I’m going to say, for my pick, will be Max Holloway,” Volkanovski concluded.

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

Video: How UFC 300 affects the lightweight title picture – Gaethje vs. Holloway, Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan, more

On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses the UFC 300 lightweight action and how it affects the division’s title picture.

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses and breaks down all the lightweight bouts featured at UFC 300.

This Saturday, the historic UFC pay-per-view features many prominent 155-pound matchups that could vastly change the title picture in the division. This includes the BMF title defense, as belt holder [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] welcomes back [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] to the division,[autotag] Charles Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] – which has been labeled as a No. 1 contender bout.

In addition, a pair of bouts featuring veterans [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag], and [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] also take place.

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, Mike Bohn, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia discussed all the lightweight action that will be on display at UFC 300.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and also don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/fSjkR02NKpM

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

UFC 300 ‘Embedded,’ No. 1: Star-studded and historic fight week underway in Las Vegas

The “Embedded” video series is here to document one of the most highly anticipated fight weeks in UFC history.

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 first 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:

Alex Pereira hangs with Chuck Liddell and Glover Teixeira. Cody Garbrandt, Weili Zhang, Aljamain Sterling and Jamahal Hill bring big belt energy to the UFC PI. Max Holloway arrives in Vegas. Bo Nickal does game night; Justin Gaethje gets in leg day.

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

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Everything UFC 300 – Pereira vs. Hill, BMF title fight, Harrison’s debut, more

On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses everything UFC 300.

Check out this week’s special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” where we’ll be breaking down everything UFC 300.

This week’s panel will be composed of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia – along with appearances from Matt Wells, Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun, Dan Tom, and Nolan King.

For this Monday’s special episode, the panel discussed:

  • The pair of undisputed UFC championship fights headlining UFC 300. In the main event, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] makes his first light heavyweight title defense against former champion  [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag], who returns from injury. In the co-main event, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] takes on fellow Chinese fighter [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] in a women’s strawweight bout.
  • The first-ever Baddest Motherf*cker title defense, as BMF champion [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] welcomes back [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] to the lightweight division. Other key lightweight bouts go down, including [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag], [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag].
  • Highly-touted undefeated middleweight prospect [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s return to action. He takes on Cody Brundage in the opening bout of the pay-per-view main card. This will be Nickal’s third fight under the UFC banner.
  • Two-time PFL champion and two-time Judo Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] makes her highly awaited UFC debut. She takes on former champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] at bantamweight – a division Harrison will be debuting in. Harrison has previously fought at 155 and 145 pounds.
  • Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] has moved up to featherweight. Veteran contender [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] welcomes him to the division.
  • To cap off the show, the panel will do a quick promo breakdown to hype up the four remaining bouts of the UFC 300 card. This includes [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag], [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag], and [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag].

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

UFC 300’s Justin Gaethje not keen on June turnaround for Islam Makhachev, defers to Oliveira-Tsarukyan winner

Justin Gaethje struggles to see a scenario where he defeats Max Holloway at UFC 300 then challenges Islam Makhachev just seven weeks later.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] struggles to see a scenario where he defeats Max Holloway at UFC 300 then challenges [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] for the lightweight title seven weeks later.

The BMF title matchup between reigning champ Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) on Saturday’s card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) has been met with some resistance within the MMA community, especially from those who think it’s derailed the natural order of the lightweight title picture.

Both current 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev and former titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov have been critical of UFC’s matchmaking, because they thought Gaethje should’ve been the next challenger. With Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan also set to fight at UFC 300, Makhachev doesn’t think anyone is going to meet his desired timeline of competing at UFC 302 on June 1 in Newark, N.J., which is why he called out Dustin Poirier for the date.

Gaethje admits he would be “annoyed” if Poirier, whom he knocked out at UFC 291 in July to claim the BMF title, got the fight against Makhachev. He can’t see himself fighting in June, though, and said his preferred timeline for his title shot would be toward the tail-end of the year.

“Ideally, they’re calling this Oliveira-Tsarukyan fight a title eliminator, so the winner of that fight fights (Makhachev) in June, then I fight the winner of that in preferably Madison Square Garden in November,” Gaethje told MMA Junkie. “That sounds like a perfect timeline for me. I’ll definitely have my time to rest, recovery and retrain myself to get ready for that fight. That’s the perfect situation for me. We’ll see if Oliveira sh*ts the bed again. I think if Tsarukyan wins he takes it because they are calling this a title eliminator, so whoever wins is going to have to fight that fight.”

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Gaethje said he appreciates the supporters who think he should be fighting Makhachev next instead of Holloway. However, it’s too late for that to matter. He’s fully mentally and physically prepared for battle with Holloway this weekend, and if he handles his business, he’s certain his next fight will be for UFC lightweight told.

“I think if you appreciate the way that this sport works, I fought (Rafael) Fiziev, I knocked out the No. 2 guy and there’s nobody left,” Gaethje said. “Oliveira was supposed to fight him in October. I was supposed to fight the winner of that fight in February. But it did not work out like that so this is where we’re at, and this is what I have to take care of.”

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

‘Cut his eye, break his arm’: Justin Gaethje details brutal ‘ideal’ UFC 300 outcome vs. Max Holloway

Justin Gaethje intends to cause serious damage to Max Holloway at UFC 300 for the BMF title.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] has an idea in mind for what he wants to do to Max Holloway at UFC 300, and it’s not for the squeamish.

Although Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has immense respect for the former featherweight champion Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC), he plans to enter the BMF title fight at UFC 300 with very bad intentions.

“I think that (a doctor stoppage is) the best case scenario,” Gaethje told MMA Junkie. “I have a lot of respect for Max. If I can cut his eye, break his arm, cause him to not be able to walk anymore, that sounds like an ideal situation for me rather than putting him to sleep. But I know he’s going to be trying knock me out, so I will have no hard feelings to myself, to anything, if I do put him to sleep.”

Many have anticipated that this fight between two high-volume strikers with incredible chins will lead to both fighters leaving a piece of themselves inside the T-Mobile arena. Gaethje is well aware of the potential, but hopes that fans express that concern on both sides of the cage.

“I think so but I hope they’re concerned about me,” Gaethje responded when asked about fan concern. “He has the ability to hurt me just the same. This is a dangerous business, and luckily for me, it’s not too crazy because it’s normal. It’s normal for me now.

“It’s what I do. It’s the game. It’s the game that I play and the game of my life so I’ve really embraced what I do and who I am and my ability to create damage. It doesn’t matter who is standing across from me that night. They signed the contract and it’s time to win.”

While the fight could unfold in several ways given the dynamics between the two high-level strikers, Gaethje would like to do something never done before to put a feather in his cap.

“I think so because that would definitely show that I’m winning the fight, and that’s the most important thing,” Gaethje said when asked if knocking down Holloway would mean something special. “I’ve just got to be myself, be ready, be very cautious, be defensively sound, and be ready to be faster from Point A to Point B, like I’ve always been.”

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

Justin Gaethje agrees with Max Holloway’s pitch for Mark Coleman to present BMF title at UFC 300: ‘I love it’

Justin Gaethje is sold on Max Holloway’s idea to have Mark Coleman present the BMF belt to the winner of their UFC 300 showdown.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] is sold on [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s idea to have [autotag]Mark Coleman[/autotag] present the BMF belt to the winner of their UFC 300 showdown.

During an interview with MMA Junkie earlier this week, Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) said he would like UFC Hall of Famer Coleman to present the belt because he’s a “real life BMF” after saving his parents from a near-fatal house fire in March.

The idea caused excitement across the MMA community, including from Coleman himself. Many agreed it needs to happen, and Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) would like nothing more than “The Hammer” to put the BMF championship around his waist on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

“I love it,” Gaethje told MMA Junkie on Friday. “Absolutely. The guy has fought so many times and he’s such a warrior in the cage and what he went through. I would love for him to do that. That’s a great idea. Best idea Max has had in a while. And he has a lot of good ideas.”

Gaethje said he hasn’t received any communication from the UFC as to whether this idea will come to fruition, but with Coleman having announced the promotion will fly him and his family to “Sin City,” things appear to be trending in the right direction.

“I haven’t talked to the UFC at all, so I have no idea,” Gaethje said. “I’ll definitely enjoy it more than (Jorge) Masvidal putting it on me (after beating Dustin Poirier at UFC 291). I know that.”

Gaethje, 35, is chomping at the bit to step inside the octagon at UFC 300 and throw down with Holloway, 32, in a matchup of two of the most exciting fighters in promotional history. It could be a potentially historic moment for Gaethje, too, as he can become the first to successfully defend the BMF title, which would mean a lot to him.

“Anytime you can be the first at anything, it’s pretty special,” Gaethje said. “Especially when it’s a positive thing. So I definitely like it and it’d be great for my legacy.”

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

Video: UFC 300 ‘Countdown’ for Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway ‘BMF’ title fight

Check out the UFC 300 “Countdown” featured bout “BMF” title video preview for Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway.

Did you miss the debut of UFC 300 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the featured bout preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the “BMF” title fight between [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC).

UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below.

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

Justin Gaethje on UFC 300 fight vs. Max Holloway: ‘I will inflict damage to where the doctors need to stop it’

Justin Gaethje predicts a doctors’ stoppage TKO of Max Holloway at UFC 300.

[autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] predicts a doctors’ stoppage TKO of [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] at UFC 300.

BMF champion Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) defends his belt against Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Former UFC featherweight champion Holloway has never been knocked out in 32 professional fights, but Gaethje is confident he can deliver a different kind of violence that “Blessed” is yet to experience.

“No one steals the show quite like ‘The Highlight,'” Gaethje said in a promotional video for UFC 300. “Carnage, chaos, probably some blood and adrenaline coursing through the veins – that’s what you are going to get from me. My ability to create damage is second to none.”

Gaethje was the first to stop Tony Ferguson by strikes, and he plans on doing the same to Holloway – but he foresees the finish coming in slightly different fashion.

“Max Holloway is a legend – probably the only person on the UFC roster right now that checks every single box when it comes to being the BMF – so I have a lot of respect for him,” Gaethje said. “However, this is my job, and I’m going to try and f*ck him up.

“I will finish Max. He might not go to sleep the traditional way, but I think I will inflict damage to where the doctors need to stop it. We are about to paint a violent picture, and no two better guys to go out there and put on a show.”

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

Max Holloway on why he took UFC 300 fight vs. Justin Gaethje: ‘You wait in this sport, the sport goes by you’

Max Holloway has no regrets fighting Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] has no regrets fighting [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] at UFC 300.

Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) challenges BMF champion Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in a lightweight bout on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

With Holloway and Gaethje pegged as the next title challengers in their respective weight classes, many questioned why this fight is even happening. However, Holloway says he wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines.

“There’s a lot of people talking about, ‘Oh, this fight is crazy. Why are you guys doing this fight?'” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “‘Why? Why, Max? Why don’t you just wait for (Ilia) Topuria? Why don’t you just wait?’ Not a lot of people know: This game, it goes by you fast, man. It goes by you quick. Nothing is promised. How many times do we see someone promised a title shot and it never happened?

“How much time do you see someone fight for an interim title shot and it never happens? Me and Gaethje were the next guys respectfully up in our title shot, correct? But how many times does that work? It doesn’t work all the time. So with the Topuria thing, everybody keeps saying, ‘Oh, you’re the next one.’ It’s like, am I really?”

After Alexander Volkanovski lost his featherweight title to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, former champion Holloway had an inkling that an immediate rematch is on the horizon.

“I thought this whole time that if Topuria was to beat Volk in any way, Volk gets a direct rematch,” Holloway said. “Volk did enough work to earn himself a direct rematch. And everybody’s like, ‘Oh yeah, but after the knockout (he shouldn’t get a rematch),’ and blah, blah. Volk still earns it. He still earns it. He did what he did. He has a bunch of title defenses.

“Just because he went up a weight class and lost, I don’t think it should affect him at his own weight class. So at the end of the day, I always thought that if Topuria won, no matter what, I would still be waiting because Volk would get a direct rematch. And with the Gaethje situation, it’s like who knew that Charles (Oliveira) was going to get a bad cut, and Islam (Makhachev) couldn’t turn around and fight?”

In hindsight, Holloway thinks he made the right choice by opting to take the Gaethje fight over waiting his fate in the featherweight title picture.

“You wait in this sport, the sport goes by you,” Holloway said. “And it goes by you quick. So all you can do is stay busy, you know? I am blessed with the opportunity to be in this situation with with Justin Gaethje.”

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