"Victim of his own success" - Michael Bisping believes Justin Gaethje's overconfidence cost him Max Holloway fight at UFC 300

Justin Gaethje suffered a stunning last-second fifth-round knockout to Max Holloway on the main card of UFC 300, losing the BMF title and likely his claim to a lightweight title opportunity. Michael Bisping recently claimed that 'The Highlight' may have become a victim of his own success following his second-round knockout victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.

Speaking at the TNT Sports' post-fight show, the UFC Hall of Famer stated:

"I think he was a victim of his own success. Knocking out Dustin Poirier the way that he did and everybody riding the coattails and being a fan, for obvious reasons. He's a very exciting fighter and very accomplished. He thought he was going to go right through Max Holloway. He really did, and he was looking for the knockout constantly. You can't do that. When you're looking for the knockout, you telegraph the shot."

Bisping continued:

"He was swinging with everything he had. He wasn't setting it up and other than throwing hooks, he was just throwing leg kicks. Step aside, left hook Larry, leg kick Larry, that's what we're going to call Justin Gaethje from now and listen, you know, he learned a very, very valuable lesson because he didn't have to take this fight. He was the next contender for Islam Makhachev. He was the rightful contender for the lightweight title. That just went up in flames."

Check out Michael Bisping's comments on Justin Gaethje's UFC 300 loss to Max Holloway below (starting at the 16:38 mark):

Gaethje likely could have opted to wait for Islam Makhachev to be ready in June and received a title opportunity. Instead, however, he suffered his first knockout loss in six years and the lightweight champion will defend his title against Poirier at UFC 302.

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Max Holloway praises Justin Gaethje for 'BMF' title bout

Justin Gaethje had everything to lose and not much to gain by defending his 'BMF' title against Max Holloway at UFC 300. Despite this, 'The Highlight' took the bout, earning plenty of praise from 'Blessed', who tweeted:

"It takes two to tango. I couldn’t have asked for a better dance partner for #ufc300 . It was an honor to share that octagon with you @Justin_Gaethje . A true BMF in every way, thank you for the opportunity. Shoutout to the real ones who has been rocking with me. I said it before I’ll say it again the #blessedexpress is on the move so buckle up. Sincerely, The Blessed Man Forever. 🤙🏻"

Check out Max Holloway's comments on Justin Gaethje below:

Gaethje and Holloway both received a $300,000 Fight of the Night bonus, while the latter also took home an additional $300,000 Performance of the Night bonus. While the newly crowned 'BMF' champion has rightfully earned much of the praise, his opponent is also deserving of plenty of praise.