Justin Gaethje says his brutal knockout defeat to Max Holloway is a stark reminder about the dangers that come with being a fighter.
Gaethje was left motionless in the final second of his bout with Holloway at UFC 300, in what several MMA fans consider to be the greatest KO of all time.
Gaethje is now gearing up for his first fight since that loss as he takes on Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 on March 8.
The instant classic last April in Las Vegas left everyone absolutely stunned, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who leapt from his seat after the finish and turned into an instant meme.
“New Rogan meme dropped,” one fan wrote, while another said: “I love Joe. His facial expressions just kill me.”
Following the devastating knockout, UFC cameras quickly cut to Holloway’s celebrations to avoid showing a lifeless Gaethje.
And it’s no surprise, considering worrying new footage has emerged showing ‘The Highlight’ shaking uncontrollably while unconscious on the canvas.
He was attended to and eventually recovered, but the clip sparked a major reaction from the MMA world, prompting Gaethje to acknowledge the risks of his sport.
“Great reminder of what’s at stake,” Gaethje, 36, wrote on X. “Live by the sword, die by the sword. It’s all I know.”
The human highlight reel then defended the post-fight celebrations of Holloway, who couldn’t contain his emotions.
“I was trying to do the same exact thing to him [knock him out],” Gaethje said in response to one UFC fan.
“I might’ve backflipped on him. There is no controlling the sudden rush of emotions.”
Another user pointed out that Holloway celebrated after the fight despite Gaethje’s reaction, to which Gaethje responded: “As he should.”
Gaethje vs Holloway at UFC 300 was voted Fight of the Year at the World MMA Awards in 2024.
The former is now set for his next fight at UFC 313, which is headlined by Alex Pereira’s battle with Magomed Ankalaev for the light heavyweight title.
Jalin Turner also takes on Ignacio Bahamondes on the main card in an exciting lightweight bout, while Amanda Lemos faces Iasmin Lucindo in the women’s strawweight division.
Gaethje has already stepped foot inside the Octagon with Azerbaijan’s Fiziev at UFC 286 in 2023.
The pair locked horns in an all-action, bloody affair at London’s O2 Arena, where Gaethje earned a majority decision victory.
Dan Hooker was originally scheduled to fight Gaethje at UFC 313, but pulled out from the bout following a hand injury.
This gifted a golden opportunity to Fiziev, who stepped in to replace Hooker on less than one weeks’ notice.
“Let’s run it back Justin Gaethje,” Fiziev, 31, said in response to Hooker’s withdrawal last week.
Many MMA fans believe Fiziev won the pair’s first bout in London and expect the former to get the better of his opponent at the second time of asking.
At 36, Gaethje is just coming off a brutal KO and Fiziev will know that a victory could potentially catapult him into the top five UFC lightweight rankings, where his opponent is currently third.
“[Gaethje] ran away from me for 2 rounds,” Fiziev told The AllStar in January.
“He started to win only after an eye poke because my eye couldn’t see anything.
“I couldn’t see anything with my right eye. He fought good only after the eye poke and round 3 when I started to get tired.”
Should Gaethje come out victorious he could get a shot at Islam Makhachev for his UFC lightweight title.
