Former BMF champion Justin Gaethje aims to run it back with Max Holloway after UFC 318.
Max Holloway spoiled Dustin Poirier‘s retirement fight at UFC 318 as he won their BMF trilogy by unanimous decision last Saturday in New Orleans. Holloway and Poirier treated fans to one of the best fights of the year, in what was a monumental sendoff to one of the sport’s greatest legends.
The final 10 seconds of Poirier’s UFC career featured another ‘point down’ from Holloway and last-second brawl in the Octagon. But luckily for Poirier, he didn’t suffer the same fate as Justin Gaethje did at UFC 300.
Justin Gaethje open to Max Holloway rematch, but presents one in-fight condition
Holloway shocked the MMA world when he knocked Gaethje out cold at the buzzer in their BMF title fight at UFC 300. The knockout forced Gaethje to take a full year away from MMA to recover from the damage suffered in the bout.
After watching Holloway’s victory at UFC 318, Gaethje wants a second chance against Holloway, and feels more prepared for a potential second ‘point down’ moment in the cage.
In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Gaethje reacted to the last 10 seconds of UFC 318 and how he’d approach a full-circle moment with Holloway.
“Those 10 seconds are no different than the first 10 seconds, or the middle 10 seconds. You have to be perfect,” Gaethje said.
“In that moment when I was fighting, specifically, I was losing. I nodded my head and ran there, because I was there to win, to compete, to fight until the last second. And literally got knocked out in the last second.
“If he does it again, I’m going to blast double-leg him. Because he’s so dangerous there. He’s dangerous all the way around, different at [155]. His power translates over, had him on skates multiple times, and his four, five punch combinations are really effective. If they were to offer me that fight right now, I would take it, because I would get the chance to fight someone who beat me,” Gaethje continued. “But we’ll see what the timing is and what route the UFC wants to go and we’ll see what’s up.”
Gaethje has pivoted on his earlier ultimatum to the UFC to retire if he doesn’t earn a title shot against UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. After he was briefly linked to a rumored clash with surging contender Paddy Pimblett, Gaethje remains unbooked for his next fight, as of this writing.
Holloway called to run it back with Topuria for his next fight, but also entertained a rematch against Charles Oliveira following UFC 318. Holloway accused Oliveira of faking an injury in their first showdown in 2015.
Holloway and Gaethje would make a lot of sense for a potential No. 1 contender fight, amid Arman Tsarukyan‘s uncertain return and Topuria welcoming a fight with Pimblett. We could learn more about what’s next for the former UFC 300 rivals in the coming weeks.
Dustin Poirier wrote ‘final letter to MMA’ just days after UFC 318 retirement
After announcing his retirement at UFC 318, Poirier penned an emotional message to Mixed Martial Arts in a recent social media post. Many UFC legends, including Daniel Cormier and former opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov, have paid tribute to Poirier in recent days.
Poirier retires with a legendary UFC resume ahead of a likely UFC Hall of Fame induction. He defeated the likes of Conor McGregor (2x), Gaethje, and Holloway during his illustrious career.
After dropping the gloves at UFC 318, Poirier could potentially make the full-time transition to television as a UFC analyst, following in the footsteps of Cormier, Paul Felder, and others.