Justin Gaethje vows he’s not done after brutal knockout

Justin Gaethje is fully accepting of his knockout loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300, as well as the circumstances that shifted both before and after.

Although the matchup was highly anticipated, many fans and pundits questioned why Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) accepted a BMF title fight with Holloway on the historic card this month in Las Vegas when he was in such a strong position for a UFC lightweight title shot vs. Islam Makhachev.

Both Makhachev and his coach Khabib Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie after Gaethje vs. Holloway was booked that the fight didn’t make sense. It played out worst case scenario for Gaethje, because he was beaten up then put on the wrong end of an all-time knockout when Holloway floored him with just one second remaining in the fight.

As a result, Dustin Poirier, who Gaethje just knocked out at UFC 291 in July, will challenge Makhachev for the belt at UFC 302 on June 1 in Newark, N.J., and Gaethje is now further away from a title shot than he’s been in years.

“I think a lot of people in my position would have set out not taking (the Holloway fight),” Gaethje told Mathew Riddle of MMA Knockout. “I have no regrets. I had so much fun. I think it was such a huge, historic card for the UFC, and to be a part of that, to be the best fight on that card, is going to live on forever.

“It was a huge risk. I failed, and if I would have won that fight, if I’d got a quick knockout, I would have been taking that fight (against Makhachev). But it’s just the name of the game.”

Gaethje said he’s not going to let what-ifs “eat me up” and intends to move forward with his life and career. He will prioritize health and family time before deciding the next steps in his career.

Despite the violent defeat, Gaethje remains No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings. At 35 and with damage accumulating, the next chapter is arguably as important as any. And the realities aren’t lost on him.

“Certainly the definition of a war, especially getting put to sleep like that, that definitely counted as one,” Gaethje said. “But I’m not done. I’m going to fight in the future, and that’s the only way that I fight.

“Even if I wanted to change how I fight, it’s really not possible. That’s how I compete. It’s how I’ve competed since I was a kid. And so the next time I step in there, ‘the best live show on earth.’ We’ll see if I have as good a dance partner as I had (with Holloway), but my intentions will be the same.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.