Former featherweight champion Max Holloway moves up to lightweight for only the 2nd time in his career at UFC 300 in April to fight Justin Gaethje for the symbolic ‘BMF’ title, but more than winning the belt what really seems to be exciting ‘Blessed’ is that it could open a lot of new doors for him.
“[Gaethje] had the ‘BMF’ belt and I like options,” Holloway told Kevin Iole. “At 45, I think the next step for me is back for the title. We was being undeniable. We had that third fight with Volk. I had to go fight Arnold [Allen]. We did that. They gave me the fight against ‘Korean Zombie’ over out in Asia, and that was a fun one. We did that, and what’s next is a title shot, we was thinking. They went a different way, and in this sport, having options is great.”
“…I think a lot of doors are going to get opened, a lot of options are going to be open. We’ll see what happens. … First things first is the man in front of me. I got a dangerous guy in Justin Gaethje, but we’re going to handle him first, and then after that, like I said: It’s just a game of options. A lot of things can open up after this fight. That’s what I’m focused on. Focused on getting my hand raised, and shock the world, I guess… This is a card I really wanted to be a part of because I know I’m not going to be around for 400. And if I am, please tell me to retire.”
Looking ahead to the fight with Gaethje, Holloway acknowledges that Gaethje’s fearsome power is something he’s going to have to adapt to.
“We almost fight pretty similar, but the only difference I guess from what people are saying is the power,” Holloway admitted. “The power at [155 pounds], how hard he hits, how hard he kicks. There are a few different things I have to figure out. I get to see how hard this guy really punches and how hard he hits come April 13 when we get in there. If we have to make adjustments, I’ll make adjustments.”
