"He was a cool dude" - Max Holloway shares story about hanging out with upcoming opponent Justin Gaethje early on in their careers

Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is set to return to the lightweight division to take on Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

Holloway is one of the most popular fighters on the roster and is widely regarded as one of the best featherweights in the promotion's history.

Despite coming up short against Alexander Volkanovski on three occasions, 'Blessed' has continued his dominance in the division and put away contenders such as Yair Rodriguez and Arnold Allen.

He is now set for one of the toughest tests of his career when he faces Gaethje, with the BMF title also on the line. 'The Highlight' is one the 155-pound division's heaviest hitters and is currently in the form of his career, defeating Dustin Poirier last time out with a stunning head kick KO.

Ahead of their bout in April, Holloway recently recalled the time that he and Gaethje first met whilst both early on in their careers.

The Hawaii native, who was speaking to ESPN MMA, explained that Gaethje had offered his team a ride upon first meeting, and noted how great it was to see how their careers turned out. He said:

"I'm excited and I'm glad we're crossing paths again. To see both our careers burst into what it is is amazing and being able to step into the octagon with this man means a lot."

He continued:

"He was just at the gym [when we first met] and he asked us, 'Hey, do you need to go some place?' as he saw we needed a ride. He was a cool dude. He's a real one."

Catch Max Holloway's comments here (14:05):

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Michael Bisping breaks down Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje

Michael Bisping has weighed in on Max Holloway's chances against Justin Gaethje.

'Blessed' has only previously fought once at 155 pounds in the UFC, coming up short against Dustin Poirier in 2019. Whilst he certainly had his moments in the fight, Holloway was unable to grind 'The Diamond' down like he has typically done against featherweights.

According to Bisping, who was speaking on his YouTube channel, the fight is heavily favored to Gaethje, but Holloway has earned his respect for taking it:

"On paper, it's all leaning towards Justin Gaethje...[Max Holloway] is not really a one hitter quitter. He's not knocking people out like Gaethje did against Dustin Poirier."

Bisping continued:

"I'll say it like this, [Holloway] doesn't have the raw power that Justin Gaethje does. But he does probably have better speed, probably has better technique. But he is the lighter guy and he won't be as strong... I will say this, all credit to that man for stepping up and taking on this challenge."

Catch Bisping's comments here (5:26):