At UFC 300, Justin Gaethje will look to add to his highlight reel against featherweight great Max Holloway.
If you have a nickname like ‘The Highlight’, then you had better deliver on that. Gaethje has done nothing but live up to that nickname and he is rightly considered one of the most exciting fighters in MMA. He has received bonuses in 10 of his 12 UFC bouts and the fight against Holloway is likely to add to that.
Despite the chaos and violence he leaves in his wake, there is method to the madness. Let’s dive into the evolution of Justin Gaethje.
UFC 300: Justin Gaethje 2.0
Once known as a brawler that would take shots to land his own, the American has reconfigured his game. Instead of walking into range and swinging overhands hoping for the best, he is now much smarter when picking shots.
Don’t get me wrong, this old method worked for quite some time. He was 18-0 in his professional career when he met Eddie Alvarez, and that’s when he was finally caught out. Alvarez KO’d him in round three in a thrilling fight, handing Justin Gaethje his first loss.
He was unable to make adjustments in his next fight with Dustin Poirier and the same fate awaited him there. After a brutal back-and-forth, Poirier finished Gaethje with strikes in the fourth. Following this loss, the evolution began to take shape.
He won his next four fights all by way of knockout. A more patient, controlled Gaethje was on display now, but his violent edge remained. He will need this at UFC 300 this weekend.
Title Fight Disappointment
Justin Gaethje manages distance better now and does not rush after attacking the legs in devastating fashion. He will set up his big overhands, hooks and uppercuts with punches first, and if initiating a clinch, will feint before entry. He fights well on the back foot, maintaining balance and rolling after punches to avoid attacks. Gaethje will then look to counter.
‘The Highlight’ got his first title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020. Unfortunately, he came up short and was submitted by the Dagestani wrestler. Although positive changes were made to Gaethje’s game, it was not enough to stop the undefeated former champion. He had his moments in that fight, chopping at the legs of Nurmagomedov and landing some heavy punches.
Following the title fight defeat, Gaethje went to war with Michael Chandler in what was the fight of the year in 2021. He won this via decision with excellent counter punching, often making Chandler advance towards him and hitting him with uppercuts, right hands and hooks.
At UFC 300, Gaethje will need to be wary of Holloway’s pressure and volume, but there will be openings for his power shots.
Gaethje was given another shot at gold at UFC 274 against Charles Oliveira, but lost by submission again. He showed his capability of winning the belt when dropping Oliveira, but Oliveira was in a resurgence of his own and landed a big shot before finishing Gaethje on the ground.
Back on Track
Since then Gaethje’s evolution has only continued. A round down to Rafael Fiziev in his next fight, Gaethje changed the game plan to come back and win. He began to land his jab and uppercut at will and turned the tide to win against a promising up-and-comer in the lightweight division.
His reward: a rematch with Poirier. In round two Gaethje landed a head kick on his opponent which knocked him out cold. He claimed the BMF title with this win as well as revenge. Gaethje may have attempted this kick before, but it was somewhat unexpected. It was all part of the progress that this outstanding fighter has made.
Justin Gaethje is considered one of the old guards at lightweight now. He is one of a handful of fighters who have no plans on making way for the new generation just yet. The reconfiguration of chaos was a joy to watch, and his fight against Holloway at UFC 300 cannot and should not be missed.
