UFC BMF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje on Max Holloway title defence
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada USA
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada USA
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Hello.
00:07 Justin, you've had a lot of fights, you've had a lot of big fights, but UFC 300 for the BMF belt against someone like Max Holloway, this one must feel pretty special.
00:15 They all feel special. It's such a great little adventure that I put myself on a long time ago when I chose to take this path. I never would have thought it would have led me to UFC 300, but here we are.
00:31 You mentioned ahead of this fight that, respectfully, you would like to finish Max, but maybe not put him out cold, just finally be the first person to sort of crack that chin we talk about so much. For him, do you think he's going to have to put on a lot of size to be able to match you for power to keep himself in there, or do you think he can come in this fight in other ways and find success?
00:50 That's a lot of what ifs and what I think. I don't know. I love getting in there and finding out. I'll know early if he's punching hard enough for me to take chances or be more cautious. I'll find that out early.
01:04 I think this is very different than the time he fought Poirier, as that was a late replacement. I think he's had this whole camp, being able to keep and maintain that weight. I do think he's going to be as big as me and as strong as me.
01:16 You mentioned he's quick to disregard that fight with Dustin for the reason you just said. Do you even look at that fight and think, "Well, there are things I can take from that," or do you have to think, "No, no, no. I can't really relate that Max to this one"?
01:27 If I'm watching that fight, it has nothing to do with the size or anything like that. It's all about technique, and I can find his technique in all of his fights. He's a very different fighter from fight to fight, just as all of us are.
01:40 We're all constantly making adjustments, and I won't be sure which Max I'm going to fight until that bell rings.
01:47 What would it mean to you to be the first guy to drop in the division?
01:50 It would mean a lot. I have 25 wins, 19 knockouts. I've really taken pride in that since the beginning of my career. To be the first one, I like being first, so yeah, I'm ready.
02:04 What are the stakes in this fight for you? Obviously, there's a BMF belt on the line, but we're hearing talks that maybe Dustin could be fighting for the lightweight title next. Do you even think about that, or do you just have to think, "Hey"?
02:13 I know with the win here, I fight for the belt. I know with the loss here, that all goes away. That's what I'm fighting for.
02:19 Is there a chance, if Islam were to fight in June, you could end up being called to fight back in Abu Dhabi, and is that something you'd even consider?
02:26 I don't play what-ifs, but you don't pass up a championship opportunity. I do want my time. I do think June would probably be impossible for me, as every time I fight, it's a traumatic life experience.
02:39 I need to go home, I need to unwind, take care of my body, take care of my head. I have coaches and a manager that ultimately make those decisions, so if they say go, I go.
02:52 Throughout media day, the general consensus is that no one else is competing for a fight of the night amongst the fighters.
03:00 They're all like, "We have to get a performance bonus because Justin and Max are fighting on this card." Do you take pride in that, that even your fellow fighters are like, "We're not even going to try for this"?
03:09 Yeah, having the respect of your peers is something I think we all shoot for. Not just that, but the respect of the UFC to give me this opportunity.
03:18 Every time you see someone in this thing, you only see the Gaiji vs. Holloway thing on the television, so it looks like it's the main event.
03:26 Going off of that, was there any chance that you would have just been the actual main event before they added Alex and Jamal?
03:33 Wrong dude. I don't know.
03:37 What do you make of the custom fight kits?
03:40 I love it. They called me and said, "What do you want?" I said, "I want to represent the United States of America."
03:45 If I ever had a chance, that's what I asked for a long time ago. I didn't want to go full Apollo Creed because I don't like to be flashy.
03:55 Anytime I can represent my country. This is such a worldwide sport. Not a lot of people truly represent this country, and I'm that guy.
04:10 Speaking of custom shorts, Max had input on his design before. Did you have any input on yours, or did you just tell the man, "I want this, this, and this"?
04:18 I said I wanted to look like a U.S. flag, and then I sent him a picture of those shades, those colors, black and gray.
04:27 I wasn't looking for anything special. I don't need to be shiny or flashy. I do my talking with my fists.
04:34 There's also a footage of you celebrating Dustin Boyer's win over Ben Allsun when you got the knockout.
04:40 Is that a guy that, no matter what time you're in, you just give me those guys you always have respect for getting out of the cage?
04:46 Yeah, I'm always going to cheer for my fellow Americans. I love to see these vets and us old guys holding off these young lions.
04:57 They're coming for us, but the longer we can hold them off, the better for me, the better for all of us. The longer I stick around.
05:04 Dustin, just curious. After we spoke the other day, a couple of the things were maybe Mark Coleman wrapping the belt around the winner of this and some $300,000 bonuses.
05:12 Any word on either of those things might happen from what you've heard?
05:16 Oh, I haven't asked. I won't ask nobody. I think the $300,000 thing is a little bit far-fetched, but I think $100,000 is probably hopefully going to happen.
05:26 They did it for UFC 100. Can't see why. We're all making a lot more money now than from UFC 100, so I think 100 Gs is good for every finish on the card.
05:39 Justin, down here to your right, you fought a lot of high caliber fighters throughout your career. Where does Max Holloway rank in that list?
05:47 Tony Ferguson, Dustin Poirier, Cowboy Cerrone. These guys are all future Hall of Famers. It's huge. It's huge for my legacy. It's huge for my resume.
06:00 I've been watching this guy. I'm older than him, but I was watching him way before I ever thought about being in the UFC.
06:07 This is the guy that I looked up to, so it's cool to see how far I've come and where hard work will get you.
06:14 I remember after your interim title win, you didn't really want anything to do with the belt, but with this BMFL, not to say that you're parading it around everywhere with you,
06:23 but obviously you hold it seemingly in high regard. Would that be a fair assessment?
06:29 Again, I think it's awesome. If I didn't have the respect of the company that I fought for, I would not be in this position.
06:38 That's what I'm most proud of, and also the fans. The fans respect it. The fans in turn respect me.
06:44 It adds a little bit more of a spectacle to my fights, and this is the entertainment business, so I like that much.
06:51 Back to the shorts. Do you think Bryce Mitchell should be upset or proud for paving the way of fighting for custom shorts and how easily you guys got them for this card?
07:04 I don't think it was easy. I've been working a long time for this. I don't know. Sure, I'll give him credit. I like his camo shorts.
07:17 Justin, you win on Saturday night in spectacular fashion. For some reason, they don't honor the title bout next.
07:32 Is it just next man up, or is there someone in mind?
07:35 There's going to be two contenders coming out of this fight night. The winner of Saruki and Oliveira is going to be a contender,
07:42 and the winner of Holloway and myself is going to be a contender. I believe Makachev is going to fight at least twice this year,
07:48 so I think we'll both fight him.
07:50 Are you looking forward to any of the fights on the card besides yours?
07:55 I'm a huge fan of the sport. I don't wish, I'm glad I'm on it, but if I wasn't on the card, I would certainly be in attendance.
08:02 I love fights. I love fighting and I love watching fights. I love the atmosphere. I love that people understand what they're going to get
08:13 when I walk out, and the atmosphere kind of changes. I can feel the intensity shift, and I love being that.
08:23 Justin, have you gotten out to the Vegas lakes? Golf?
08:31 A specific golf club? No, I played Cascada and I played Rio Seco while I was here last Thursday and then Sunday,
08:39 and then unfortunately I have to do a bunch of interviews so I can't golf these days.
08:45 Not bad. I shot a 93 and a 90. My swing is disgusting, but I shoot well.
08:54 You've got to get back to that stacklist of importance you have to face in your career.
09:01 Is there any other guy you want to face and say, "Yeah, I have to face him"?
09:06 I'm a quarter mile at a time kind of guy. I do not look too far ahead. I honestly have no clue what the future holds.
09:15 I don't usually plan on being alive the day after my fight, so hopefully I'm there on Sunday.
09:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]