The UFC 300 fight between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway may be one of the most eagerly awaited fights on the entire card. But the noted UFC icon, Khabib Nurmagomedov, had criticized the encounter in one of his interviews with ‘MMA Junkie’. ‘The Eagle’ also gained support from the UFC lightweight, Trey Ogden, after he voiced a similar opinion regarding Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway. Ogden also gave a better option for Holloway in the ‘InsideFighting‘ YouTube video where he talked about the first ever UFC ‘BMF’ title defense fight.
Ogden stated that Holloway fighting against Gaethje did not make any sense. Rather, any other fighter with better quality might sound attractive. Thus, fans might perceive Odgen as a member of ‘TeamKhabib’ after his recent words about the ‘BMF’ title defense fight. The ‘Samurai Ghost’ said,
“I don’t like Max at 155 [lightweight]. He doesn’t hurt. He was definitely overpowered when he fought Poirier at 155. This move doesn’t make sense for me”
Meanwhile, the noted UFC lightweight champ, Islam Makahchev, also followed his bosom friend and mentor, Khabib’s narrative. The 32-year-old appeared in an ‘MMA Junkie’ interview where he, too, echoed whatever ‘The Eagle’ said about the Gaethje vs. Holloway fight.
All three of these also agreed on another point related to this issue. All of them suggested that Holloway should go on to fight the current UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria for the championship once more. But a deeper look at the issue will reveal that this narrative was first presented by another noted UFC personality long before Khabib expressed his opinions.
Joe Rogan promoted the Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria fight before Khabib Nurmagomedov
Well, it was the noted UFC color commentator, Joe Rogan, who became the first renowned person to stand against the Gaethje vs. Hollway encounter scheduled for UFC 300. Rogan talked about the fight on the UFC 297 ‘Fight Companion’ episode on Spotify. But, the 56-year-old didn’t have pretty positive views about it.
The ‘JRE’ host expressed that he still counts Holloway as a worthy UFC featherweight title challenger. He also implied that a Max Holloway vs. Ilia Topuria fight for the UFC featherweight title should’ve been the next for ‘Blessed’. But now that the matchup has already been scheduled, all four (Khabib, Makhachev, Odgen and Rogan) will probably hope for an enthralling showdown on April 13.
