Underdogs are often written off from the start, but looking back, it’s not always the favorite who wins the fight. Speaking about this in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, former BMF title contender Dustin Poirier, when pressed about who would win in an upcoming BMF title fight between Champion Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway, stated that he would put his money on the underdog, given the fact that ‘Blessed’ is in that position he picks his side for UFC 300.
In a recent MMA Hour interview, Poirier mentioned that after his fight against Gaethje, he expected the BMF Titleholder to face Islam Makhachev, but he was surprised to learn it was against Holloway. Subsequently, he was pressed to predict the winner between the two. Poirier confidently expressed his belief in Holloway winning it and was ready to put his money on him. In his words,
“I respect both guys. Both guys are great fighters, but I would put money on Max just because he’s the underdog. I see a lot of people online saying that Max is going to be undersized. Max is a big guy. Him and Gaethje probably walk around the same weight. Max isn’t a small guy. The striking the timing of Max, his range. It’s a coin toss, but if I was betting, I would bet on Max.”
Poirier is the perfect person to ask for predictions and insights about the BMF fight for several reasons: he has fought against both fighters and also competed for the BMF belt. Talking about his prediction, it’s interesting that he chose Holloway as the winner, despite having defeated him in the past twice. On the flip side, he lost to Gaethje with a brutal head kick, but did not predict him to win.
In explaining his reasoning, he leaned towards Holloway due to the underdog tag, but he might have faced more difficulty overcoming ‘Blessed’ in their fight compared to the BMF titleholder. Meanwhile, Gaethje is preparing with Bruce Lee’s philosophy.
Justin Gaethje Preparing With Bruce Lee Philosophy for UFC 300 Fight Against Max Holloway
It is well known that Max Holloway has a solid ability to sustain serious damage. Talking about it, in a recent interview with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA, Justin Gaethje discussed a Bruce Lee philosophy that he thinks will contribute against Holloway.
The famous philosophy of “Be like water,” of Lee as per Gaethje, will him to adapt to the situation and will allow him to escape the punches and boxing skills. Not only that, but Gaethje also pointed out that fear creates doubt, which can result in being knocked out.
So as per him, he will approach this fight without a clear mind. It will be interesting to see if Holloway can win the BMF title from the current champion, as predicted by Poirier.
