Dustin Poirier contradicted the belief that Max Holloway doesn’t have the body to match Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in their BMF fight.
Gaethje and Holloway will be having UFC’s third BMF match at UFC 300. For the former, it would be a defense as the current owner of the title after defeating Poirier in the second BMF bout of the promotion during UFC 291. With his status, “The Highlight” is considered the betting odds favorite in the fight.
Holloway, meanwhile, is facing doubts from the MMA community. The fight will be his return to the lightweight division, where he last fought Poirier and lost in 2019. For some, the fighter lost in the lightweight interim title fight at that time due to his size. And now that he’s also facing another huge opponent in Gaethje, fans are fearing the fighter would face the same fate this year. Poirier, nonetheless, negated the idea, saying the fellow fighter not only has the proper size but also the skills to take down Gaethje.
“I respect both guys. Both guys are great fighters. I think I would put money on Max, just him being the (under)dog,” Poirier said on The MMA Hour. “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 at the same weight. Max isn’t a small guy. And the striking, the timing of Max, his range, his durability, it’s a coin toss. But if I was betting, I would bet Max.”
“Blessed” already addressed the matter in a recent interview and promised fans to be “a proper-sized person” when he faces Gaethje at UFC 300. Although he admitted that it was probably the case when he first fought in the 155-pound division, Holloway said it would be different the next time he enters the cage.
“My eating habits, my nutritionists, my wife is keeping me in check, and just having the IQ (this time),” Holloway said last month in an interview. “I think you guys are going to see a proper-sized person for this one. I feel like (the last one) I was just a big (featherweight). And I hate using excuses, but everybody asks me that question, you know? That was a long time ago. I was just a big (featherweight). You will see a difference on April 13.”
