In over a decade of his UFC career, Justin Gaethje has seen many glories that propelled him into stardom. But other than the high moments, losses have also been part of his journey. Although ‘The Highlight’ has suffered bad defeats, Max Holloway’s knockout loss at UFC 300 stood out as the most brutal of them all. After ‘Blessed’ flatlined the Arizona native, fans were skeptical about a comeback. Now, the two-time interim champ seems nothing but gratified about that loss.

After devastatingly losing the BMF belt, Justin Gaethje made adjustments and went 2-0 in his next fights, defeating Rafael Fiziev in a rematch at UFC 313 and then surging past Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324. Now, with a looming title defense against Ilia Topuria, possibly on a White House card, Gaethje credits the UFC 300 loss as a better part of his legacy, not a bitter one.

Justin Gaethje looks back on his Max Holloway loss with no regrets

“I’m glad I lost like that. It’s a much better story for my legacy to lose like that than to let one more second go by and just lose a decision. Me getting knocked out and then coming back and having two wins in a row makes those two wins much more inspiring, and it makes what I’m going to do at the end of my career that much more inspiring,” Justin Gaethje said on the Pat McAfee Show.

For Gaethje, the nature of the loss and his subsequent comeback have reshaped his perspective on it. But that feeling wasn’t the same as when he showed regret for not pushing the fight earlier. Even so, the loss against Max Holloway will remain one of the bitter moment of his career. And even two years after that fight, fans still wonder what prompted Gaethje to accept the former featherweight champion’s 10-second phone booth scrap invitation. He finally answered it.

Top Stories

Dana White Cuts Israel Adesanya Teammate After UFC 325 Cheating Controversy

Who is Mark Kerr’s Wife? All About Dawn Staples & UFC Star’s History With Franci Alberding

Who Is Arman Tsarukyan’s Father? Nairi Tsarukyan’s Net Worth, Profession & Businesses

Ex-UFC Champion Shares Emotional Update Before Cancer Surgery Ahead of Title Fight

Court Announces Verdict on Ilia Topuria-Giorgina Uzcategui as UFC Champ Puts Justin Gaethje on Alert

“I fought a bad fight, and I was in a position where I was going to lose. And once he granted me that opportunity to go out and knock him out to win, the competitor I am, I was never going to turn that opportunity down. That’s the sole reason I showed up, for the chance to win. I understood I was losing, and with that opportunity, I had no choice. I’d do it a hundred times over,” Gaethje added.

Gaethje’s assessment of the fight holds up; he was trailing on the scorecards at the T-Mobile Arena and needed a finish to retain the BMF belt At the T-Mobile Arena, Gaethje was behind in the majority of the rounds in a five-round fight. To retain the BMF belt, the Arizona native needed a knockout, so he took the opportunity to swing back at Holloway. Well, that was definitely a mistake he made during the fight as Gaethje got brutally knocked out, which his friend believes he cannot afford to make during the Ilia Topuria showdown.

Daniel Cormier voices concern for ‘The Highlight’ ahead of Ilia Topuria clash

With a possible White House clash in June, Justin Gaethje is on alert and ready to bring his A-game against the lightweight champion. The clash is definitely shaping up to be an exciting one, but Daniel Cormier has a thing or two to say before his friend jumps into the octagon against the Georgian-Spaniard.

Sensing a possible knockout threat, the former two-division champion sent a warning to his golf partner, insisting that he cannot be reckless against Topuria. To back up his claim, he also mentioned how ‘El Matador’ swiftly iced Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.

“Justin Gaethje is my friend,” Cormier said during an appearance on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson. “I’m gonna tell him, ‘Don’t do that with Ilia Topuria, man. You can’t do that with him. He hits so hard. When he and Charles Oliveira were fighting, by the time Charles Oliveira hit the ground, he was already sleeping, man. Ilia hit him two to three times on the way down,’” DC added.

Cormier’s concern is valid, especially considering Topuria’s knockout of Charles Oliveira. Fans will remember that Oliveira himself previously dropped and submitted Gaethje at UFC 274, which makes Topuria’s power an even greater threat.

That said, do you think Justin Gaethje could make it three straight wins by defeating Topuria and add another chapter to his legacy following the Holloway fight? Let us know in the comments section below.