Justin Gaethje has stated no MMA fighter hit him tougher than when he confronted Max Holloway.
Gaethje, a former UFC interim light-weight champion, got here to blows with Holloway on the promotion’s three hundredth pay-per-view card in April final yr.
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In arguably the best second in UFC historical past, ‘The Spotlight’ was left unconscious on the canvas with only one second remaining of their five-round, 25-minute battle.
Holloway had pointed to the centre of the Octagon and advised Gaethje to face and bang with him to complete the battle.
Gaethje obliged however quickly discovered himself face-planting to the canvas after ‘Blessed’ caught him with a devastating proper hand, crowning him the promotion’s BMF champion within the course of.
When requested concerning the prime three strikes he is ever taken in his profession, Gaethje responded: “Max Holloway is certainly primary.
“First time and solely time I’ve ever been put to sleep.”
Naming his second and third alternative, Gaethje added: “I bear in mind Michael Johnson hit me with two excellent photographs that I have no idea how I did not fall asleep to, however I am solely going to depend that as one.
“Earlier than I knocked out James Vick, he kicked me within the liver actual good. It is the weirdest photographs that damage in there, yeah, that one checked my liver, I used to be like, ‘Uh-oh.'”
What’s Gaethje’s UFC document?
Gaethje is 9-5 within the UFC and made his debut in opposition to Johnson in July 2017, stopping his fellow American within the second spherical at The Final Fighter: Redemption Finale.
He was then thrown straight within the deep finish and misplaced his subsequent two fights to Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier, earlier than embarking on a three-fight successful streak that led him to UFC gold.
Gaethje scored successive first-round KOs in opposition to Vick, Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone earlier than he was awarded an interim light-weight title bout in opposition to Tony Ferguson.
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The 36-year-old stopped ‘El Cucuy’ within the fifth spherical of their UFC 249 fundamental occasion in Might 2020, however did not capitalise on his shot on the undisputed strap 5 months later.
In what shockingly turned out to be Khabib Nurmagomedov’s ultimate battle within the UFC, Gaethje was submitted by the undefeated Russian within the second spherical of their Abu Dhabi headliner.
Gaethje bounced again in his subsequent battle in opposition to Michael Chandler, outpointing ‘Iron’ in a Combat of the Night time successful efficiency at UFC 268.
He then suffered his fourth UFC defeat to Charles Oliveira, earlier than getting again within the successful column in opposition to Rafael Fiziev and Poirier on the second time of asking.
‘The Spotlight’ then took the toughest shot of his profession, however as soon as once more overcame adversity to say a unanimous choice win over Fiziev in his final battle at UFC 313 in March.
Gaethje believes his final victory was sufficient to safe one other shot at undisputed light-weight gold in opposition to present champion Ilia Topuria.
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Topuria knocked out Oliveira in June to win the belt, and UFC CEO Dana White is presently assessing who the Georgian-born Spanish fighter will face subsequent.
‘El Matador’ is the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and is more likely to headline one of many first numbered playing cards as a part of the promotion’s new broadcast cope with Paramount+.
Gaethje to retire if not awarded a UFC title shot subsequent
Rising light-weight star Paddy Pimblett is up there as a favorite to problem Topuria for his belt, however Gaethje has declared he’ll retire from the game if his subsequent battle is not for a title.
“[Gaethje’s] received three of his final 4, he’s saved the UFC two instances,” his supervisor Ali Abdelaziz stated in June.
“They wanted him and he was there – the man’s achieved a lot for this sport.
“If anybody says he doesn’t deserve it… [Gaethje] stated, ‘If I do not battle for the title, I am simply gonna grasp up my gloves’.
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“[Gaethje] is a really principled man, and I’ve by no means felt so robust about this.
“He stated yesterday, ‘If I’m not going to get a title shot, I really feel disrespected. I really like being a UFC fighter, I really like the UFC, however I really feel the UFC has to like me again’.
“He doesn’t really feel the love proper now, on the finish of the day, I feel they’ll give him what he needs…”
No bulletins relating to Topuria’s future have been made but, however there isn’t any doubt Gaethje thinks will probably be his identify preventing for the belt subsequent.