This past Saturday night in the first of three title fights UFC 300, the BMF title was on the line. Justin Gaethje (25-5) entered the bout looking to defend his BMF title against former featherweight champion Max Holloway (26-7).
The last time Holloway moved up to 155, it was against Dustin Poirier and he didn’t gain the weight properly. Instead of putting on muscle to fight 10 pounds heavier, he just stuck to his normal routine and skipped weight cutting. This time, he prepared for the jump in weight and you could tell.
From the opening bell, Holloway looked considerably bigger inside the octagon than he previously did at lightweight and it translated. He didn’t lose his speed, but his punches definitely had more pop. From the opening bell, he completely frustrated Justin Gaethje and was beating him to the punch.
He broke his nose in the first round and spent the majority of the fight just beating Gaethje up. With ten seconds left in the fight, Holloway pointed to the ground and him and Gaethje threw everything they had. With one second left, Holloway landed the perfect right that knocked Gaethje out cold crowning Max Holloway the UFC’s new BMF.
What’s next after UFC 300?
Max Holloway is 100% fighting with a belt on the line in his next matchup. The big question is, what title will be on the line? Will he defend the BMF title or will he be fighting for UFC gold? He called out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev after he won on Saturday night.
I don’t see him fighting the lightweight champion, but there is a fight to be made with the featherweight champion. That said, Alexander Volkanovski deserves an immediate rematch with Topuria before Holloway gets his shot. Volkanovski has always been a company man and he reigned over that division for years. He also has three wins over Holloway.
I think if they can book Topuria – Volkanovski 2 over the summer, the possibility is there for Holloway and Topuria to close out the year. However, the UFC has another option I’m keeping my eye on. Conor McGregor – Michael Chandler was officially announced for UFC 303 over the weekend.
Should Conor McGregor win, I think there’s a massive market for a rematch between McGregor and Holloway. McGregor and Holloway fought early in their career with McGregor getting the win. They are much different fighters now and I think having these two fight for the BMF title would be a grand slam for the UFC.