What does BMF stand for in the UFC? Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje to fight for title at UFC 291

Modified Jul 28, 2023 16:08 GMT

Dana White with the inaugural BMF belt [Image courtesy @TheMacLife on YouTube]

The acronym BMF stands for 'Baddest Mother F****r,' which essentially means the belt, in spirit, belongs to the toughest fighter in the game.

Former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal won the inaugural BMF title by beating fan favorite Nate Diaz at UFC 244.

The fight between 'Gamebread' and Diaz was highly coveted by fans long before the actual fight night. The UFC sensed this opportunity and realized that an event of such magnitude deserves its own title, and thus the one-of-a-kind belt was commissioned.

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Apparently, the unique title was, in part, the brainchild of Nate Diaz. During a media segment, UFC president Dana White spoke about how Diaz inspired the UFC to come up with title:

"It stands for ‘Baddest Motherf***** in the game. Diaz basically said this [fight] is for the baddest motherf****r in the game. This is one of those fights that after that interview [from Diaz after beating Anthony Pettis] started to build a life of its own."

White added:

"I said to my guys, 'tell me if I’m crazy, but what do you think of us actually having a baddest motherf****r in the game belt? 'And my guys loved it, and we started talking about it. I went in with the design team, and we’ve started to design it." [Transcripts via The Sun]

Now in the wake of Masvidal's retirement, former interim lightweight champions Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will fight to claim the vacant title at the upcoming UFC 291 main event on July 29 at the Delta Center in Utah.

Justin Gaethje looks forward to getting the BMF belt wrapped around his waist by Jorge Masvidal

When Justin Gaethje crossed paths with Dustin Poirier in the past, he fell prey to a knockout. So 'The Highlight' is hunting for revenge in his BMF title fight at UFC 291.

However, the idea of receiving the belt from Jorge Masvidal seems even more appealing to Gaethje. To put it into context, Poirier and Masvidal are teammates at The American Top Team, and if 'The Highlight' gets his revenge this weekend, it'll be a sour night for ATT.

'Gamebred,' the 'OG' BMF champion, recently shared that he'd be placing the belt around the winner's waist, and Gaethje seems to love the idea. During the pre-fight press conference, he said: