{"id":463721,"date":"2026-02-07T04:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T04:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/463721\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T04:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T04:54:08","slug":"im-glad-i-lost-like-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/463721\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m Glad I Lost Like That"},"content":{"rendered":"

Justin Gaethje<\/a> is grateful for his insane knockout loss against Max Holloway. <\/p>\n

In perhaps the most viral MMA moment of 2024, Holloway delivered a buzzer-beating KO<\/a> against Gaethje at UFC 300, effectively turning \u2018The Highlight\u2019 into just that. <\/p>\n

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In the time since, Gaethje has bounced back with two big wins, including a solid victory over Rafael Fiziev and a five-round beatdown<\/a> of Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 to once again become interim lightweight champion. <\/p>\n

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Next up for Gaethje, in all likelihood, is a showdown with reigning 155-pound king Ilia Topuria<\/a>. Should Gaethje do the unthinkable and finally claim undisputed gold on MMA\u2019s biggest stage, he believes that viral loss against \u2018Blessed\u2019 will ultimately help his legacy rather than hinder it. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad I lost like that,\u201d Gaethje told Pat McAfee<\/a>. It\u2019s a much better story for my legacy to lose like that than to let one more second go and just lose a decision. Me getting knocked out and then coming back and having two wins in a row makes those two wins much more inspiring, and it makes what I\u2019m going to do at the end of my career that much more inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m glad I lost like that.” \u2013 Justin Gaethje is grateful for the KO loss to Max Holloway. \ud83d\ude32\ud83d\udc4f<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad I lost like that. It\u2019s a much better story for my legacy to lose like that than to let one more second go and just lose a decision. Me getting knocked out and then coming\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/JKX6xgmz23<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) February 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Justin Gaethje open to third meeting with \u2018The Diamond\u2019<\/p>\n

No official date has been set for Gaethje\u2019s anticipated clash with Topuria, but \u2018The Highlight\u2019 did open the door for a potential threequel with another former interim champion \u2014 Dustin Poirier<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cDustin\u2019s a warrior, and I\u2019ll always respect him,\u201d Gaethje told Bloody Elbow when asked about a trilogy fight with his lightweight rival. \u201cIf he really wants to come back and the UFC wants that fight, I\u2019d do it. But I\u2019m focused on moving forward, not backward. I\u2019ve got goals I\u2019m chasing, and that\u2019s where my attention is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaethje and Poirier are currently tied at 1-1, with Poirier taking the first meeting via a fourth-round knockout in April 2018. Five years later, they would run it back at UFC 291. This time, Gaethje would get his revenge, scoring a massive head-kick KO just 60 seconds into the second round. <\/p>\n

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