"How about one for the fans?" - Justin Gaethje called out by Max Holloway amid 'The Highlight's' plans of waiting for Islam Makhachev fight

Max Holloway has issued a challenge to current BMF champion Justin Gaethje, expressing his interest in a title showdown for the BMF belt. Holloway's callout comes at a time when Gaethje has been vocal about his desire to secure a shot at Islam Makhachev's UFC lightweight title.

Holloway took to social media, suggesting the potential bout by stating:

"If you change your mind bratha, how about one for the fans? #BMF 🙌🏻 @Justin_Gaethje."

Check out the post below:

This request from Holloway might be in response to Gaethje's recent statement in an interview with ESPN MMA. Gaethje conveyed his intention to wait as long as necessary for the opportunity to fight Islam Makhachev for the coveted UFC lightweight championship.

As the current No.2-ranked lightweight contender, Gaethje is eager for a title shot. However, UFC president Dana White has already declared that former champion Charles Oliveira is next in line for a chance at winning the title.

With the lightweight title picture somewhat uncertain, Justin Gaethje may explore Max Holloway's challenge for the BMF title as he waits for a potential lightweight championship opportunity. While his priority remains on winning a lightweight title, Holloway's offer presents an interesting alternative.

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Justin Gaethje opens up on training transformation under Trevor Wittman

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje has opened up about how his training under coach Trevor Wittman has fundamentally altered his approach to fighting.

'The Highlight' recently discussed this transformation during a conversation with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA. During the interview, Okamoto inquired about Gaethje's potential shift towards a more defense-focused strategy in his fights.

The 34-year-old fighter affirmed this shift, emphasizing the significance of minimizing damage:

"When I'm going into sparring, I'm just worried about not getting hit. That is what I'm working on, every single time I step in there... I can't turn my offense off, you know. it's so natural to wanna punch them in there that as long as that's not at front of my mindset, then I'm not too aggressive. You don't wanna lead too much.

He added:

"This is definitely a game where you wanna lead and you wanna counter and you gotta find the happy median between those two. Not getting hit is a huge factor when we're in there and as long as I'm still alive and still fighting, I have the opportunity to create damage because that's what I do."

Check out the interview below [10:17 mark]: