When Max Holloway suggested a BMF title fight with Justin Gaethje months before UFC 300 was scheduled, he was playing the odds that it might actually happen.
At the time, Ilia Topuria had already been declared the No. 1 contender in the featherweight division, and lightweight king Islam Makhachev was expected to face Charles Oliveira next.
That left Holloway and Gaethje as the odd men out in their respective divisions, so that’s where an idea was born about possibly putting something together between them.
“If that’s not the definition of a BMF, then I don’t know what is,” Holloway told MMA Fighting. “At the end of the day, somebody who has the BMF belt, there’s only a few that come to mind — and the few that actually live up to it, Justin Gaethje is it.”
Holloway was elated to learn that Gaethje didn’t blink at the offer, even if it meant risking a potential lightweight title shot.
“I was just as surprised, too, because I thought they would have went the title fight that way, too but they didn’t,” Holloway continued. “They made Charles’ fight [against Arman Tsarukyan] a No. 1 contender, which is kind of mind-blowing at the end of the day, but we’ll see what happens. We’re here, I’m happy, and I get to fight a true BMF in Justin Gaethje. I’m excited.”
Holloway holds Gaethje in high regard for a number of reasons, not the least of which is rooted in a scheduled fight in Denver; he needed a place to train after someone else flaked on him. Gaethje stepped up and offered to help Holloway in any way possible, and the two became fast friends.
Fast forward a decade later, Holloway now attempts to beat Gaethje and take his BMF title, but it’s only done from a place of respect. It’s the same reason Holloway called for a matchup against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in his previous outing – it was a fight that didn’t require any fake beef or bad blood to get people interested.
Holloway is bothered by the escalating trash talk that’s taken center stage lately with ugly exchanges initiated by fighters like Colby Covington, Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis.
“This generation, I’ve been saying it all the way coming up to The Korean Zombie [fight], fighting guys like Korean Zombie, fighting guys like Justin Gaethje, we’re the last of a dying breed,” Holloway said. “We don’t need the s*** talking.
“The way people are going, the way people are handling themselves on social media, or in the media period, you don’t need none of that. Let your fighting talk for yourself. I understand about trying to hype a fight and sell pay-per-views, but some people are crossing the line lately. It’s just not cool.”
It’s hard to find any example where Holloway has ever made a derogatory comment about an opponent outside of maybe predicting that he would win a fight. He’s never had any interest in getting involved a verbal war of words, even when he’s been engaged in matchups against prolific trash talkers like Conor McGregor.
Holloway knows that words matter, and spewing vitriol at an opponent isn’t going to make him fight any better much less help the brand he’s building.
“It’s not helping,” Holloway said. “A lot of guys in the sport are like, ‘Why can’t we get this sponsor? Why is the NFL or NBA, MLB, they’re comparing us to other sports leagues that’s huge.’ I’m like brother, do you see anybody talking wild like that or stepping over the line saying s***? If you want those [deals], you’ve got to carry yourself a certain way.”
Despite much wider mainstream acceptance for MMA in recent years, Holloway never forgets the uphill battle that fighters had to wage just to earn that respect among other major sports. MMA isn’t that far removed from being called “human cockfighting,” so Holloway understands that athletes competing in the UFC are often times already viewed under a different spotlight than NFL or NBA players.
Holloway doesn’t begrudge anybody talking crazy to get some attention, but there’s always repercussions lurking just around the corner, and that kind of backlash can last forever.
“A lot of guys got to understand with us being mixed martial artists, it’s super hard,” he said. “We’re already behind. We’re already behind trying to get this stuff done, just because of the sport we’re in. We’ve got to be a little bit extra smart about certain stuff. It is what it is.
“People are going to push their narrative, push what they want to do. I ain’t got nothing against it, but that’s just not for me. It doesn’t kick it with me. At the end of the day, if you want to do that, that’s cool, I ain’t hating on you, but stop asking why am I not getting this, this and this. It’s because you’re doing this.”
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