On Saturday night, Justin Gaethje will fight Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324, but two past opponents are still on his mind.
Ahead of this weekend’s main event in Las Vegas, Gaethje reflected on his 2022 loss to Charles Oliveira and 2024 defeat by Max Holloway, with each bout representing a different kind of title fight.
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Against Oliveira, Gaethje was competing for the vacant lightweight belt, a day after Oliveira lost the title by failing to make weight. The Brazilian was thus ineligible to win the gold against Gaethje, but the American would have become champion with a victory over Oliveira. However, Gaethje was submitted in round one.
Then, against Holloway, Gaethje was defending the “Baddest Motherf*****” belt”, and the Hawaiian dethroned the “Highlight” by dominating four four rounds and knocking out Gaethje in the final second of the 25-minute bout.
“It sucks to make excuses, but those are the only two guys that ever got me not at my best – for two different reasons,” Gaethje told ESPN on Monday.
“I’ve talked about being in a bike crash 18 days before the Oliveira fight, banging my head off the road. You know, I was compromised walking into that fight. And for Max, it was a mindset thing, so those were the only two guys that have ever gotten not the best of me – and two fatal mistakes.
Charles Oliveira forced Justin Gaethje to tap to a rear naked choke (USA TODAY Sports)
“The biggest mistake for me was looking at [the Holloway bout] as a spectacle fight or a fight that was for fun, and not understanding or recognising the danger I was in. So, I didn’t get to go to my primal, competitive nature, so that was a scary night. When you go to a primal place, you’re not there, you’re not retaining information. I remember his face; I’ve never seen an opponent’s face.
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“So, that was a big mistake for me, and it happened in the preparation. There was a lot of mistakes made in my mind, and I had the wrong mindset going into that fight. It was a huge mistake, and that’s why I want to fight him again.”
Max Holloway beat Gaethje with an all-time great knockout (Getty Images)
Against Pimblett, Gaethje can become a two-time interim UFC champion. The American, 37, previously held the interim title in 2020, winning it with a decision victory over Tony Ferguson. Later that year, he failed to unify the belts against regular champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who submitted Gaethje.
Should Gaethje overcome Liverpool’s Pimblett this weekend, he will get a third crack at the undisputed UFC lightweight title. Ilia Topuria is the reigning champion, but the Georgian-Spaniard is taking a break from MMA for personal reasons, leading to the creation of an interim strap.
