Gaethje will end up like Ferguson: hit by a slasher. After the knockout, Highlight will not be the same
Maxim Yakovlev April 21, 2024, 16:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Justin will still be a star, but you can forget about the belt.
The UFC 300 tournament was a great success, but there were not only winners. The famous Justin Gaethje once again put on a brilliant show, but he is not happy with it: being knocked out in the last second of a five-round fight is a dubious pleasure. Of course, Highlight re-entered the promotion’s history, only he once again walked away from the championship belt. And, it seems, now forever.
Let’s remember the unique tournament:
UFC 300 turned out great! But we still expected more.
It seems like Gaethje has always been a top-tier wrestler in the world’s top promotion. He made his UFC debut in 2017 and only fought tough opponents. In the first three fights, Justin looked less like a fighter and more like a showman. He kept going and caught every punch his opponents threw at him. But after losing to Poirier, Gaethje changed his game plan and appeared under the guise of an intelligent and calculating assassin. Thanks to his new tactics, he was able to compete twice for the full title of UFC lightweight champion. And before the fight with Max Holloway, he could confidently expect a championship fight with Islam Makhachev.
But Holloway, who had moved up from featherweight, simply drove around Highlight like it was a skating rink. Gaethje took a huge amount of damage, looked downright helpless at times, and the knockout looked not only impressive, but also horrifying. Now Justin’s title prospects are a big question mark, if they’re even worth talking about right now.
Report on the great battle:
Holloway and Gaethje gave the fight of the year! Highlight was removed at the last second
Gaethje is unlikely to perform again this year, given that he suffered a broken nose. Previously, she already had to be absent for about 10 months after a similar injury, surgery and subsequent rehabilitation. Let’s not forget how she lost her. Every knockout has a serious impact on a fighter’s mental health. Therefore, psychological treatment can take much longer than physical treatment.
Furthermore, Justin is now 35 years old. This is a critical age for fighters competing in the lightweight division and related weights, as it is during this period that decline most often begins. The most suitable example not only in age, but also in style is Tony Ferguson. It was at age 35 that El Cucuy suffered a crushing defeat to Justin himself and never won a single fight in his career.
Tony Ferguson
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Additionally, the lightweight division began to be updated. Arman Tsarukyan appeared, Mateusz Gamrot appears and Rafael Fiziev continues to show promise. The old elite, which includes Poirier, Chandler and Gaethje himself, are already in the twilight of their careers.
Taking all of the above factors into account, Justin will find it difficult to get back into the title race, to put it mildly. However, he has time to recover, especially since Islam Makhachev will be busy for the next year. Therefore, Highlight will be able, for example, to make a trilogy with Poirier, if, of course, he loses to Makhachev. But there is a feeling that Gaethje will never reclaim the belt. However, Justin wrote his name in gold letters in UFC history. Even if he ends up like Ferguson, no one will take away Gaethje’s legacy.
