Last year, Max Holloway earned Knockout of the Year honors for his stunning finish of Justin Gaethje at 4:59 of the fifth round—a moment that instantly became one of the most iconic in UFC history. But behind the scenes, there’s more to the story. Gaethje has now revealed brutal details, claiming the UFC begged him to take that fight at UFC 300 and, despite being 3-1 in his last four, continues to deny him a rightful title shot.
‘The Highlight’ Justin Gaethje recently earned a hard-fought win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313, cementing his place as a top title contender. But as fans witnessed more weight class shake-ups in the UFC, Islam Makhachev vacated his lightweight belt to move up in the division, leaving a golden opportunity for a new champion to emerge.
Gaethje, expecting to finally get his shot at the vacant title, was blindsided when the UFC instead booked Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira for the championship bout. Voicing his frustration in a recent interview, the American fighter said,
“UFC owe me a championship fight. I’m 3-1 in my last 4. They came to my house begging me to fight Max Holloway on UFC 300. I consider that an exhibition fight. It had nothing to do with rankings,” Gaethje also said, “Oliveira (2-2 in his last fights) has already lost to Makhachev. And they bring a brand-new guy in, and I get f*cked again.”
Justin Gaethje reveals UFC came to his house begging him to fight Max Holloway at UFC 300 😱
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 13, 2025
"UFC owe me a championship fight. I’m 3-1 in my last 4. They came to my house begging me to fight Max Holloway on UFC 300. I consider that an exhibition fight. It had nothing to do with… pic.twitter.com/hL2HFX0B9b
‘The Highlight’ noted that Makhachev had publicly expressed interest in fighting him before giving up the title. But once Makhachev vacated the belt, Gaethje was pushed aside and left out of the title picture.
Charles Oliveira Claims UFC Favored Justin Gaethje in Toughest Fight of His Life
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Charles Oliveira was set to defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje, but the bout became clouded by controversy after he missed weight by just half a pound. As a result, the UFC stripped him of his title, leaving only Gaethje eligible to win the belt. However, Oliveira went on to submit “The Highlight” via rear-naked choke—yet he still feels robbed.
Speaking to RealMMAToday, the Brazilian star claimed the UFC unfairly favored Gaethje during fight week, saying, “Everyone knows they stole my belt. It was never about 200 grams. His corner, his coach, was always around me, all over the place like he was from the commission. This stuff doesn’t happen anywhere else.”
Charles Oliveira accuses the UFC of trying to hand Justin Gaethje the title by creating mental pressure and distractions. He maintains he won the fight and claims the promotion unjustly took the title from him.
