Justin Gaethje to put BMF title on line against Max Holloway

For the first time in UFC history, the BMF title will be defended.

Justin Gaethje will put the BMF championship on the line against former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday night on social media. The bout is contracted for lightweight and will be five rounds, White said.

Gaethje won the BMF title by knocking out Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 last July. Previously, Jorge Masvidal was the first winner of the mythical championship, beating Nate Diaz in 2019. Masvidal was never booked to defend the nebulous crown, which is reserved for the most action-packed fighters on the roster. Gaethje and Holloway more than qualify under that criteria.

2 Related

White also announced Tuesday that Jim Miller, who owns the most wins and fights in UFC history, will face Bobby Green at UFC 300. That will make Miller the only fighter to compete at UFC 100, UFC 200 and UFC 300. The only fighter to step into the Octagon other than Miller at UFC 100 and UFC 200 was Brock Lesnar.

Gaethje (25-4) has won two straight and seven of his last nine. The Arizona native, who trains out of Colorado, has 12 fight-night bonuses in 12 UFC fights. Gaethje, 35, is a former UFC interim lightweight champion.

Holloway (25-7) has won two straight and four of his last five fights. The Hawaii native has lost only to one man — UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski (three times) — since 2019. Holloway, 32, owns the most significant strikes landed in UFC history (3,197).

Gaethje vs. Holloway is the second title fight announced for UFC 300. Zhang Weili will defend her UFC women’s strawweight belt against Yan Xiaonan on the card, the first-ever China vs. China title matchup in UFC history.