“I’ve been waiting for 13 years for someone in MMA to break my nose and it hasn’t happened,” Justin Gaethje said cheekily in mid-2022, shortly before his nasal reconstruction surgery. It turns out, the UFC lightweight superstar had broken his nose back in college, which led to serious breathing issues for him. Surprisingly, ‘The Highlight’ became one of the very best fighters in the world despite not even being able to properly breathe.
“I broke it in wrestling practice 13 years ago, and life’s been hell since then… I don’t even know what my f–king voice sounds like. I’ve been waiting a long time to get this broken. No one has done it, so I’m going to do it myself and give it one last run toward the title,” The Highlight’ declared.
As you can imagine, going through the surgery and being able to breathe properly after more than a decade came as a huge relief to the Arizona native. “Having two methods of oxygen intake is something I’m really enjoying right now,” Gaethje would say after the surgery. However, all of that came to naught at ‘The Highlight’s electric, all-time UFC 300 clash against Max Holloway, as Joe Rogan pointed out in episode #2291 of his JRE podcast.
“Luke Rockhold, former UFC champion, had a post that he did about his nose recently where they were like going through his nose with one of those cameras. And so you could see like what’s in there. It’s the same thing, his is completely clogged up. Like you hear Justin Gaethje talk, his nose is totally clogged up. Like there’s a lot of them. And Justin actually got his nose fixed and then he fought Max Holloway. And I think that might have put it back,” Rogan said.
MMA: UFC 300 – Gaethje vs Holloway Apr 13, 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Max Holloway blue gloves fights Justin Gaethje red gloves during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena Nevada USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarkxJ.xRebilasx 20240413_mcd_su5_168
Holloway, of course, broke Gaethje’s nose before knocking him out cold in the dying moments of their one-for-the-ages BMF title clash, fulfilling ‘The Highlight’s long-held wish of getting his nose broken in a fight. The Arizona native would probably have preferred it happened before his 2022 surgery, but at least Gaethje could strike off getting his nose broken in one of the greatest fights in history off his bucket list. The same could not be said for his desire to be UFC champion, but that may be about to change.
Is Justin Gaethje next in line for a lightweight title shot?
Justin Gaethje apparently did the smart thing after being slept by Max Holloway. The former interim champ took a nice long break to make sure his brain recovered from the concussion. Earlier this month, Gaethje fought Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 after almost a year from UFC 300. Many were worried about what impact the KO would have had on ‘The Highlight’.
Would he be more apprehensive, more gun-shy, and reluctant this time around? Well, he wasn’t. In fact, the former BMF champ was more aggressive than ever, which won him a pretty comprehensive unanimous decision against the Azerbaijani on the Las Vegas card. And the Arizonan feels he now deserves to fight for the title.
“I won 3 out of my last 4, only losing in an exhibition fight. I have to fight for the belt. @danawhite I am ready,” Gaethje wrote on X after UFC 313. And guess what? 155lbs kingpin Islam Makhachev is on board. “I like this idea because I haven’t fought Justin [Gaethje] yet,” the Dagestani said in January. In further good news for ‘The Highlight’s fans, Dana White also seems positively inclined to the former BMF champ fighting for the lightweight gold.
“He’s [Justin Gaethje’s] still the No. 3-ranked guy in the world, so the odds of him getting a title shot are pretty good,” the UFC CEO told reporters at the UFC 313 post-fight presser. What do you think about Max Holloway breaking Justin Gaethje’s nose at UFC 300?
The post Joe Rogan Claims Brutal KO by Max Holloway Added to Justin Gaethje’s Woes Despite Triumphant UFC Return – “His Nose Is Totally Clogged” appeared first on EssentiallySports.