Justin Gaethje Makes a Confession on Fighting ‘Safer’ With 2 Rivals Before Max Holloway at UFC 300

Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway‘s famous UFC 300 clash was one for the ages. An epic striking extravaganza between the two brawlers, the BMF title fight was everything fans expect when they spend their hard-earned cash for some fabled violence. However, surprisingly, despite the electrifying, action-packed nature of the Fight of the Year clash, ‘The Highlight’ has one regret about the bout. Bet you got this wrong! It isn’t that he became an honorary member of the shadow realm in the dying seconds.

Speaking to ‘Shak MMA’ on YouTube, the former BMF champ regretted playing it too ‘safe’ against ‘Blessed’. “I think I fell into a tendency to not move forward as much as I should… Through Chandler and Fiziev, you know, I kind of found success with being safer and ultimately that’s not the answer… I think last fight really highlighted [my safer approach to fighting],” a regretful Gaethje said.

The 36-year-old pointed out that not moving forward as much as he used to bring him success against Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev, both of which he won via decision at UFC 268 and UFC 286 respectively. However, against the sublime striker Holloway, ‘The Highlight’ felt that was a mistake.

“I think Max Holloway is not a guy you can sit outside and wait for. I think he was so fast, you know, and he does have crazy skills when it comes to closing distance that I was very surprised at how fast he got and closed the distance on me. And, I think, you know, in the fourth round I implemented more of a forward strategy and I really think I won that round and then he really just clipped me in the fifth round, and you know, put me on queer street. So it was kind of hard to implement any plan other than fight,” he added.

Although Gaethje lost the Holloway fight, he gained a lot of respect and admiration among fans. If we go by the definition of a brawler, a safer Gaethje is still orders of magnitude more aggressive than most other fighters. However, now that he is determined to be even more aggressive than usual, fans cannot wait for his return to the Octagon which may prove very consequential for the Arizona native.

Justin Gaethje hopes a win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 will secure him a title shot

Justin Gaethje looked like he was on the cusp of another lightweight title shot before he got slayed by Holloway last April. And since he went on a break from fighting to let his brain recover from that epic clash, the Arizona native didn’t have the chance to regain his position in the division. Until now. Gaethje, of course, is set to rematch Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 on March 8 after his original dance partner Dan Hooker pulled out owing to a broken hand. And Gaethje a big win over the Azerbaijani would be enough to get him a title shot against Islam Makhachev.

“I’m always shooting for [Islam Makhachev]. Right now he’s the champion. You know, we saw what happened with [Dustin] Poirier. I beat him. He fought for the belt [against Makhachev]. I think timing is such a huge factor in this sport,” Gaethje told Jim Rome in a recent interview.

“With Charles [Oliveira] already losing to him and him being ahead of me. With [Arman] Tsarukyan having his chance [to win the title] and pulling out the day of the fight or the night before, it’s definitely detrimental to his chances. Topuria coming up and Makhachev saying that he needs to fight somebody else first. Really there are not a lot of guys. With a huge win here and certainly a finish, I think they are gonna have to consider me [for a title shot]. I have never fought him and that’s what we are looking for.”

The only hitches with ‘The Highlight’s plan, of course, are Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira. But Tsarukyan is out of the title picture for now, according to Dana White. But ‘Do Bronx’ is very much in the title picture. Oliveira, of course, is coming off a dominant win over Michael Chandler and has the best claim to fight for the title next.

But Makhachev has already beaten the Brazilian once. Moreover, the champ has explicitly said he wants to fight Gaethje in July. This is why the former BMF champion does fancy his chances at getting a title shot next. What do you think about Justin Gaethje’s revelations about the Max Holloway fight at UFC 300?