Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Farah Hannoun

Justin Gaethje aims to become first to knock out Max Holloway at UFC 300

Justin Gaethje hopes to finish Max Holloway in a way he’s never been finished before.

Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) defends his BMF title against former featherweight champion Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas.

Eighty percent of Gaethje’s wins have come by knockout, and he will look for another one against Holloway. But considering Holloway has never been knocked out, “The Highlight” knows it’ll be a tall order.

“I have 25 wins and 20 knockouts. I’m pretty proud of that,” Gaethje told ESPN. “That’s one thing that I tried to sustain throughout my career purposefully. So yeah, that’s something that I’m shooting for. Same thing with Tony Ferguson. Nobody had ever finished him. I didn’t knock him out in a traditional way, but I certainly created enough damage for that fight to be rightfully stopped.

“I would rather not get there here (vs. Holloway), I promise you that. This could be a war, a battle of attrition. If I can’t find him, if I can’t hurt him, then he never stops. He’s constantly creating angles and constantly creating pressure, and it could be a tough fight. If I can’t find his timing early, momentum is everything in there.”

Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier with a head kick to claim the BMF title at UFC 291 in July. Holloway will compete at 155 pounds for just the second time in his UFC career after losing a Fight of the Night war to Poirier for the interim title in April 2019. He is coming off back-to-back wins over Arnold Allen and Chan Sung Jung.

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

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.