‘I’d Rather Fight In June Than Abu Dhabi’

Gaethje is hoping a win over Max Holloway at UFC 300 earns him a Madison Square Garden title shot in November, not a 17 hour flight to Abu Dhabi.

Justin Gaethje is not a fan of fighting in Abu Dhabi.

That’s the big message coming out of a new ESPN interview where he discusses his UFC 300 BMF belt fight against Max Holloway, and a long-awaited lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev should he beat “Blessed.”

Three of Makhachev’s past five fights have been in Abu Dhabi, where the UFC holds a big event every October. That’s right around the time Gaethje is hoping to get his title shot. If Islam gets a fight at UFC 302 on June 1st, it’s a pretty good bet he’ll be back in Abu Dhabi next.

“F—, I think I would rather fight in June than fight in Abu Dhabi,” Gaethje said. “I think ideally we fight in Madison Square Garden [in November]. Who knows, I’m sure the UFC might try to put him in Abu Dhabi, and if that’s where the road takes me, that’s where I go.”

Gaethje fought Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi back in 2020, losing via triangle choke in the second round. It was the first time he ever fought outside of North America, and he did not enjoy the experience.

“The crazy thing is that there are so many factors in that experience that are not here,” he told Yahoo! Sports in 2022. “I mean, if you’re a creature of habit you are so f—ed going to Abu Dhabi. The water wasn’t the same, the food wasn’t the same, the time wasn’t the same.”

Fortunately, Gaethje is extremely familiar with Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I’ve been coming to Vegas for a long time, since I was probably five or six years old to wrestle in national tournaments,” he said. “So Vegas is my most favorite place to compete. That’s why I love that this fight is here. It’s close to my family, not too far from where I live. And it’s the fight capitol of the world so I think it’s the perfect place for UFC 300.”