UFC 300 Odds, Prediction: Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway

Gaethje opened as a -210 favourite to win on the MMA odds, while Holloway is a +175 underdog.

Justin Gaethje UFC 300 Odds

Gaethje is 25-4 since his professional MMA debut in 2011. The 35-year-old Arizona native is a former UFC interim lightweight champion and current UFC BMF champion. Currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC lightweight division, Gaethje also has a strong wrestling background. He is a two-time Arizona state high school wrestling champion and he was an NCAA Division-I All-American wrestler at the University of Northern Colorado.

“The Highlight” began his pro MMA career in the World Series of Fighting, becoming lightweight champion and defending the belt five times before moving to the UFC in 2017. Gaethje is 8-4 in the Octagon, earning a post-fight bonus in all 12 career UFC fights. It’s that highlight reel style that earned him a shot at the symbolic BMF belt last July when knocked out Dustin Poirier at UFC 291.

Gaethje is one of the most entertaining fighters the UFC has to offer, but he’s more than just flash. He’s an elite and technical brawler who holds heavy knockout power. Gaethje’s likes to deliver devastating strikes with his legs from any distance and from there he’ll work on attacking the body. His average of 7.35 significant strikes landed per minute is second all-time in UFC lightweight division history and his 60.3 per cent significant strike accuracy is also second.

Max Holloway UFC 300 Odds

Holloway is a veteran MMA fighter, stringing together a 25-7 record since 2010. The 32-year-old Hawaiian is usually considered a featherweight fighter, where’s he’s ranked No. 2 in the division, but he’s fought off-and-on at lightweight over the years. He won the featherweight championship against Jose Aldo at UFC 212 in 2017 and successfully defended the belt three times before losing it against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 245 in 2019.

While still featherweight champion in April 2019, “Blessed” stepped up on short notice to fight for the interim lightweight championship at UFC 236, but lost to Dustin Poirier by unanimous decision. Holloway is making the move back to lightweight after losing all three featherweight trilogy fights against Volkanoski, although he won his last two featherweight bouts against Arnold Allen and The Korean Zombie last year.

Holloway is an absolute warrior, who has landed the most signifiant strikes in UFC history with 3,197, which is over 1,300 more than the next closest fighter. He’s known for his elite cardio and fitness as he relentlessly pushes forward to land strikes and exhaust opponents. Don’t count on Holloway kicking much as he prefers to rely on his sharp boxing, but he’s still capable of delivering damage with quick, low, leg kicks.

UFC 300 Prediction: Gaethje vs. Holloway

These are two of the most entertaining fighters in UFC history, so regardless of the outcome, we’re all in for a treat. Gaethje holds more knockout power, but Holloway has a steel chin. I expect Holloway to try to close the distance quick and pressure Gaethje early, but he’ll be leaving himself vulnerable. This could be a blink-and-you-miss-it type of finish if Gaethje can catch Holloway off-guard. Gaethje wins by KO/TKO or DQ (+150).