Seemingly washing away all memories of his recent loss to Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje’s display at UFC 313 certainly made a certain caller more than forgetful.
Gaethje, who returned over the course of the weekend at UFC 313, turned in his second career win over Rafael Fiziev. The Arizona veteran was forced the distance again by the Kazakh striker, but with the victory, he has now positioned himself for a title in his immediate return later this year.
However, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen doesn’t think that’s a feasible scenario right now, not with Justin being 1-1 in his last 3 fights. Sonnen, instead, suggests another title fight for Gaethje- a BMF title rematch with Holloway.
One would imagine that having been knocked out by Holloway could possibly hamper Gaethje’s memory on the night. He might just not want to remember it, considering it was a rather traumatic event. However, it turns out Daniel Cormier doesn’t remember it either. Forget the KO, when Sonnen suggested the rematch, Cormier asked if they had even fought before.
Sonnen, of course, wasn’t going to let it go.
“Forgive my friend Daniel (Cormier) for his ignorance,” he posted on Instagram. “It’s not like he was cageside or anything,” the UFC veteran added, poking fun at DC, who actually called the fight.
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It should be noted that this fight was just 11 months old, the video of the KO had gone viral, and it stayed trending on social media platforms for days. It was also UFC 300, which is why the UFC brass was happy to increase the bonus to $300,000. So, Cormier should ideally do better.
Meanwhile, Gaethje not only wants to forget the Holloway fight, but he’s also happy to dismiss it as an ‘one-off’ event and move on to the next big thing.
Holloway fight an “exhibition”: Gaethje demands title shot
Earlier this week, UFC president Dana White assured the press that even at 38 years of age, Gaethje was still the 3rd ranked lightweight in the world, and so there was a good chance he would get a title fight soon.
And just days after, seemingly unafraid of asking, Gaethje has gone on Twitter and announced he was ready for Islam Makhachev.
“I won 3 out of my last 4, only losing in an exhibition fight.I have to fight for the belt. @danawhite I am ready.”, he tweeted.
I won 3 out of my last 4, only losing in an exhibition fight. I have to fight for the belt. @danawhite I am ready.
— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) March 11, 2025
However, with Ilia Topuria, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan in waiting, Gaethje might have to fight once more before he can skip the queue.
Besides, with Holloway not permanently at 155 lbs, this would be a highly entertaining bout. Gaethje could finally get his vengeance on Max, and it would prove that the Fiziev fight wasn’t just a flash in the pan.