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In typical Justin Gaethje fashion, he was involved in yet another fight of the night display at UFC 300, but fans are questioning whether he now regrets taking the Max Holloway matchup.

Win or lose, ‘The Highlight’ has been one of the most consistently entertaining fighters the sport has ever seen. In 13 fights of his UFC career, Gaethje has picked up a sensational 13 bonuses. He strives to put on a show for the viewers, though this has sometimes come back to haunt him.

During a recent interview, Justin Gaethje reflected on his defeat at UFC 300. Despite potentially losing a title opportunity against Islam Makhachev, Gaethje insists he has no regrets taking the Max Holloway matchup.

“[It’s a] crazy game, you know?” Gaethje said regarding his UFC 300 loss. “I think a lot of people in my position would have set out not taking [the Holloway fight].”

“I have no regrets. I think it was–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, you know, is gonna live on forever.”

“And again, 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 Islam Makhachev], but it’s just the name of the game.” [h/t MMA Knockout]

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Related: Max Holloway shows off leg injury days after UFC 300

In the aftermath of Max Holloway’s knockout of Justin Gaethje, Dana White announced Islam Makhachev’s next title defense.

At UFC 302, Makhachev will put his lightweight throne and #1 pound-for-pound ranking on the line against the undeniable Dustin Poirier.

‘The Diamond’ entered his last outing as the underdog, taking on Benoit Saint-Denis. As he usually does, Poirier came out on top in a dog fight, knocking out his opponent and now securing a title fight opportunity on June 1.

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Last Saturday, Ryan Garcia handed WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney his first career loss.  Haney retained the title because Garcia failed to make weight for the title fight and was ineligible to win it.  

In the buildup to the match, Garcia displayed erratic and concerning behavior, but showed up on fight night.  After flooring the champion several times, Garcia won via majority decision.  

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley and Garcia have a history of calling each other out.  Following Garcia’s upset win over Haney, O’Malley reacted to the result and mocked Garcia in a video posted to social media.  

“Ryan Garcia – Devin Haney just got done.  Very impressive fight from Ryan. He was using an interesting technique. He would throw his left hook, which was really nice. He’d throw his left hook Instantly turn his back, so he couldn’t get hit,” O’Malley said in the video.  “Good fight.”

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O’Malley defended the 135-pound title for the first time at UFC 299 in March against the only man to defeat him, Marlon Vera.  O’Malley dominated the rematch winning every round on all three judges’ scorecards.  

In the video, O’Malley displays the ‘interesting technique’ with his longtime coach Tim Welch.  It’s worth a watch.  

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Jake Paul continues to make waves in boxing, but he still has his sights set on his long rumored appearance in the PFL SmartCage. Although there isn’t a timeline set in stone for his MMA debut, Jake already has two names in mind who he’d like to fight.

‘The Problem Child’ has proven to be a power puncher who possesses true knockout power thus far into his combat sports career. Six of the 27-year-old’s nine wins have come by way of knockout–with his most notable arguably being the vicious win over former UFC champion Tyron Woodley.

In response to Jorge Masvidal’s comments, Jake Paul doubled down on his $ 10 million offer. The social media star insisted he wants either Masvidal or Nate Diaz for his first venture into mixed martial arts.

“What the f*** you gonna do coming over to MMA, bro?” Jake said while mocking Masvidal. “I’m f***ing from Miami, Florida, bro.”

“All of these guys hide behind these crazy things but still, none of them have shown up to the table to talk [about] any business, about anything to make anything actually happen in a real fight. A real spar.”

“So the offer still stands there. Either Masvidal or Diaz in the PFL. [A] $ 10 million offer for either one of those guys.”

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Related: Jake Paul shares DMs from Sean Strickland

Even if a deal is agreed, Jake Paul will have to wait to fight either Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz under the PFL banner.

He is currently preparing to face his toughest challenge in the ring to date when he collides with the legendary Mike Tyson on July 7. The bout is set to get underway at the AT&T Stadium in Texas and will be live to viewers on Netflix.

The pair have signed to compete in an exhibition match, though Tyson has insisted that he refuses to fight under watered-down rules.

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Despite fighting just last week, Bo Nickal has reportedly signed the dotted line for his next fight inside the octagon.

The wrestling phenom has been an outstanding addition to the UFC’s middleweight roster. His Olympic-level grappling has been a huge factor in his success just six fights into his professional career in the sport, and his striking ability looks more impressive each time he competes.

Although many didnt like his placement on the card, Bo Nickal kept his 100% finish rate intact when he scored a submission victory over Cody Brundage at UFC 300. Having just fought a week ago, rumors are beginning to pick up about Nickal’s next opponent.

According to Jacob Malkoun, both himself and Bo Nickal have agreed to face one another at the highly-anticipated UFC 302 card on June 1.

“Thanks for Mick Maynard [for] making this fight happen,” Malkoun said on Instagram. “Respect to Bo Nickal and his team for accepting the fight.”

“[It’s] going to be a good test but I’m ready. Not bad for an IT guy.”

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Jacob Malkoun secured a big win last time out when he finished the dangerous Andre Petroski early into the second round. ‘Mamba’ has been hit and miss since debuting in the UFC as an undefeated prospect almost four years ago, carrying a 4-3 record in the promotion.

Related: Dana White announces UFC 302 headliner and co-main event

UFC 302 full fight card

If the Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Malkoun fight goes ahead, it will be adding to an already stacked fight card.

UFC 302 will be headlined by Islam Makhachev’s return. The Russian fan favorite is looking to defend his lightweight throne against challenger Dustin Poirier.

The co-main will see Sean Strickland compete for the first time since losing his title. The controversial middleweight will collide with Paulo Costa in a five-round affair.

MAIN CARD

• (C) Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
• Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
• Roman Dolidze vs. Anthony Hernandez
• Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov

PRELIMS

• Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailin Perez
• Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez
• Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
• Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews
• Hyun Sung Park vs. Andre Lima
• Sumudaerji vs. Joshua Van
• Roman Kopylov vs. Cesar Almeida
• Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski
• Niko Price vs. Alex Morono

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Former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz has been sued by influencer Rodney Rodney Petersen, aka “Not Logan Paul” stemming from a 2023 street fight in New Orleans following a Misfits Boxing event.  News of the lawsuit was first reported by New Orleans TV station Fox 8.

Peterson accuses Diaz of starting a brawl while he tried to deescalate the situation.  The incident occurred on April 22 on Bourbon Street.  What started as a melee involving influencer Chase Demoor, who had gotten into a verbal altercation with Diaz inside the event, ended with Peterson being choked unconscious by Diaz.  

Diaz was arrested for the incident but the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office declined to seek charges.  Petersen seeks damages for mental, physical, and emotional trauma while his wife, Bobbie Petersen, also seeks damages. 

Peterson, an 0-6 amateur mixed martial artists, has competed twice in influencer boxing matches since the altercation with Diaz.  Both bouts were exhibitions with Peterson being knocked out by Tristan Hamm in January and defeating Cake Paul by unanimous decision in March.  

Diaz is scheduled to face former UFC rival Jorge Masvidal on June 1 in a boxing match.  The two famously fought in the inaugural ‘BMF’ bout back in 2019.  Masvidal won the fight via TKO due to doctor stoppage at the conclusion of the third round.  

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There’s no question that Max Holloway is one of the toughest fighters to ever compete inside the octagon. Well, his case has only been strengthened after showing off the damage he fought through at UFC 300.

The former featherweight kingpin has several options at his disposal but that could have been much different if things didn’t go to plan last time out. ‘Blessed’ arguably put on the best performance of his career when he scored a brutal knockout against Justin Gaethje–capturing the BMF title in the process.

During a recent live stream, Max Holloway showed off his leg injury. Which, despite being in much better condition from earlier in the week, still looked badly bruised and swollen.

max holloway shows bruised leg after taking 33 of gaethje’s leg kicks during their fight pic.twitter.com/ICgx9sckXq

— MajinFC (@majin2700) April 19, 2024

Though he was winning the majority of the affair, Max Holloway was susceptible to Justin Gaethje’s leg kicks. As the rounds went by, the damage grew more visible and forced Holloway to switch stances on a few occasions.

Since walking away with the spectacular knockout victory and earning himself a well-deserved $ 600k bonus, Holloway has spoken nothing but positively about Gaethje. 

Aside from labeling him a future Hall-of-Famer, the newly-crowned BMF champion has understandably shed praise on ‘The Highlight’s leg kicks.

Related: Ilia Topuria expects end of the year matchup against Max Holloway

Max Holloway set to defend his BMF title?

After his recent display, Max Holloway finds himself in a great position to make title runs at both lightweight and featherweight.

The star looks all but set to head back down to 145 lbs and challenge the seemingly unstoppable Ilia Topuria for UFC gold, though he has other options.

Michael Chandler is preparing to finally meet Conor McGregor inside the octagon when the two lock horns in the UFC 303 headliner later this year.

While ‘Iron’ has other aspirations, he has publicly stated his interest in challenging for the BMF strap, with Max Holloway being firmly in his sight.

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UFC 300 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 13 and featured two world title bouts and a ‘BMF’ bout.  

The light heavyweight title was on the line in the fight card’s main event between champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jamahal Hill.  Pereira knocked out Hill in the first round.  

In the co-main event, women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili faced fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan.  Weili won the fight via unanimous decision.  

Lightweight contender and ‘BMF’ winner Justin Gaethje faced former featherweight titleholder Max Holloway in the third ever ‘BMF’ bout.  Holloway secured a last-second knockout win and became a viral sensation.  Look back at the slow motion highlights.

UFC 300 Slow Motion Highlights

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Now that light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is no longer competing in the middleweight division, former titleholder Robert Whittaker has become a fan of the Brazilian.  

Pereira is a combat sports veteran with 40 professional kickboxing bouts.  He arrived in the UFC in November 2021, largely known to mixed marital arts fans as the guy that beat Israel Adesanya twice in kickboxing.  In his fourth UFC bout he became the guy that held three wins over “The Last Stylebender” and captured the middleweight title.    

After losing to Adesanya in the rematch, Pereira moved up a weight class and won the 205-pound championship in his second fight in the division.  He successfully defended the belt at UFC 300 against former champion Jamahal Hill.  Pereira knocked Hill out in the first round.  

“My relationship with Alex is weird because I personally make it a point not to like any other middleweight just because they are potential opponents.  I don’t want to get to know them that way.  I don’t want to start blurring lines between my side of the fence and their side of the fence.  Understandably, it’s all business and it’s not personal but still I like drawing a line in the sand,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade Podcast.  

“Him being a middleweight at the time put him on my radar in that respect.  But then he moved to light heavy and he’s doing his thing in light heavy.  The longer he’s in hight heavy the more I’m starting to like the guy,” Whittaker continued.  “The more I’m starting to like the way he approaches fights.  I’ve got to say, he’s got to be one of the coolest fighters at the moment in my opinion.  

“His walkout is just so stoic and strong.  Even that bow and arrow thing that he does with the scream is so cool.  And then we look at his actual fighting prowess.  The dude is just a phenom in the standup game.  He’s leagues ahead of most other, definitely any other light heavyweight, but most people in the game I feel.”

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Paige VanZant may be putting her modelling career on hold as she is rumored to have agreed a return to combat sports later this year.

’12 Gauge’ has long been a fan favorite dating back to her time inside the octagon. During her best years under the UFC banner, VanZant bested veterans Bec Rawlings and Felice Herrig. Though she came up short, the strawweight even managed to share the cage with a young Rose Namajunas.

According to reports, DAZN has accidentally revealed that Paige VanZant will be making her first venture into boxing. VanZant will allegedly face off with social media influencer Elle Brooke in the main event of Misfits 15 on May 25.

‼️ DAZN have accidentally leaked Misfits 15’s main event being Elle Brooke vs Paige VanZant for May 25th. [#HaneyGarcia Press Conference] pic.twitter.com/MgT33JwHtj

— Crossover Boxing News (@CrossoverBNews) April 18, 2024

Paige VanZant hasn’t competed in any form of mixed martial arts since suffering back-to-back losses in BKFC almost three years ago. 

The 30-year-old saw unanimous decisions against Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich go against her in a less-than-impressive start to her bare-knuckle boxing career. She currently has just one win in her past six fights in combat sports, and will now hope to put her poor form behind her if the rumored clash with Elle Brooke goes ahead at Misfits 15.

Related: Misfits Boxing gets licenses suspended in the interest of boxer safety

Despite being the much less experienced fighter, Brooke has had a strong start to life in the boxing ring. The Brit boasts a 4-1 record since her debut in July 2022.

While she’ll likely be at a striking disadvantage, Elle Brooke could rely on her grit to get her over the line against Paige VanZant. Last time out, Brooke scored a knockout victory over Andrea-Jane Bunker. The pair slugged it out and put on an incredible performance before the referee was forced to stop the fight midway through the third round.

Although nothing has been made official, the rumored Paige VanZant vs. Elle Brooke matchup will likely be for Brooke’s Misfits Boxing 125 lbs title.

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During the UFC 300 Post-Fight Press Conference on April 13, UFC CEO Dana White announced that a bout between former middleweight champion Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa would serve as the UFC 302 co-main event.  

Costa (14-3) has lost three of his last four fights and is coming off a loss to former titleholder Robert Whittaker in his last outing in February.  Strickland (28-6) was defeated by Dricus Du Plessis via split decision in his last bout in January.  For months Strickland has lobbied for an immediate rematch, but agreed to faced Costa next after meeting with the fight promotion.  

On Wednesday, Strickland vowed to make that ‘dirty Brazilian’ bleed on June 1 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.  

“You know, you guys, I like Costa.  He’s a funny guy.  He makes me laugh.  He’s pro-free speech.  I like that guy,” said Strickland in a video.  “But I’m going to make that dirty Brazilian bleed.  I’m going to do it for Brazil because Brazil doesn’t even like Costa.  So, hey, Brazil, this is for you guys.  Let’s get it done.”

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UFC 302 is headlined by a lightweight title bout between champion Islam Makhachev and fourth-ranked Dustin Poirier.  Makhachev (25-1) is coming off back-to-back wins over former featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski.  Poirier (30-8, 1NC) will entered the championship match coming off a knockout win over Benoît Saint Denis.  

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