Kamaru Usman claims Justin Gaethje would have been BMF champion if it wasn’t for Max Holloway’s eye poke
UFC 300 went down over the weekend and for many fans is probably in the running for the best combat sports event of all time. Amidst all this, former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman came up with an interesting claim about Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway.
For the most part, the two big highlights of UFC 300 came from the Alex Pereira fight, where he knocked out and then trolled former LHW champ Jamahal Hill. Not only that, Max Holloway’s buzzer-beating knockout of Justin Gaethje was perhaps the most standout moment of the night.
Worst mother****r 😮💨 @BlessedMMA | #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/WHtaTOmniw
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
All things considered, it was a moment that blew the roof off the T-Mobile Arena, with referee Mark Goddard even giving a shout out as Holloway eliminated Justin Gaethje to claim the lightweight title. Naturally, many at the time felt the emotion indescribable and could only cry out in shock and amazement. However, for someone like Kamaru Usman, it was a moment of real disappointment.
Kamaru Usman Claims Max Holloway Eyed Justin Gaethje At UFC 300
By now, it’s no surprise that Kamaru Usman has a close working relationship with Justin Gaethje. Not only do the two fighters share the same manager, they also train together under trainer Trevor Wittman. The two have fought together on the same card in the past as well. So, they consider each other as brothers at this point.
Thus, it was difficult for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ to comprehend seeing one of his closest friends and ‘brothers’ so brutally knocked down. In numerous reaction videos that have circulated since then, Usman can be seen in the crowd, crouching with his hands on his head after Gathej was knocked down.
Kamaru Usman’s live reaction to Justin Gaethje’s knockdown #UFC300 🙁
🎥 YT / @stylebender #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/EzTRnUSl30
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS) April 15, 2024
However, as the former welterweight king suggests, the fight was not as straightforward as it looked.
“We have to see the two-eyed worm. They were clean, legal eye punches and it wasn’t that Max was doing it maliciously or on purpose, it just happens and that’s the kind of thing that can change the outcome of a fight.”
That said, even former nemesis Michael Chandler later expressed concern for Justin. According to Usman, the first kick to the nose at the end of Round 1, combined with the eye poke, made it very difficult for Gaethje to follow his game plan. Nevertheless, he gave it a good go and got down to swinging like a warrior.
Kamaru Usman reveals what Justin Gaethje did wrong during the fight
All things considered, Kamaru naturally had a lot to say about the BMF title fight. Not only did he suggest that Max Holloway got an advantage with the eye poke, but he also had some criticism for Justin Gaethje. In the lead up to the fight, we discussed how Gaethje struggles to follow a game plan during big fights, as seen in his fights against Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov in the past.
Thus, despite starting strong, he always fails to make necessary adjustments in the middle of fights and falls into the bad habit of loading heavy shots, which can be devastating while leaving many gaps for his opponents to exploit. Speaking on the latest episode of Pound for Pound with Henry Cejudo, Kamaru discussed the same.
“I think the place where things have gone sideways is making necessary adjustments in combat.”
“I thought he could make some adjustments when he’s a wrestler. This fight was completely different when Justin switched levels and took Max down once or twice and he could do it.”
Further, even Henry Cejudo added:
“If Justin could just get one takedown, and be able to hold him and really ground and pound him, he’s going to start thinking about a guy like Max Holloway. Looking at this fight as a whole, I felt like Justin could have done a better job of covering the distance.
With that being said, there is no doubt that Justin Gaethje is taking time to properly recover from the setback. Dropping down to #3 in the lightweight rankings, ‘The Highlight’ still has a lot of improvement to make. Given that he has the time and opportunity to work on himself, the 35-year-old could once again put together a run for the title.