Justin Gaethje Fights 2 Opponents at UFC 300

As far as stats are concerned, BMF champion Justin Gaethje is one of the most exciting fighters in the business. With 12 UFC fights and 12 UFC bonuses, ‘The Highlight’ certainly lives up to his name.

However, as we enter UFC 300 fight week, another worrying statistic could spell the end of Gaethje’s BMF title reign: a trend that affects a certain bracket of fighters. After turning 35 years-of-age in November 2023, Gaethje joined this group of UFC ‘veterans’.

UFC Over-35 Curse Explained

Male fighters below welterweight (170 lbs), aged 35 or above, have never won a title fight.

RELATED: Ultimate List of UFC Curses

Taking welterweight into account, only one fighter, Tyron Woodley, has secured title wins at 35 or older, setting the combined record for these fighters at 2-24-0.

Name	Weight	Age	Defeated by
Joseph Benavidez	Flyweight	35 years	Deiveson Figueiredo
Joseph Benavidez	Flyweight	35 years	Deiveson Figueiredo
Deiveson Figueiredo	Flyweight	35 years, 34 days	Brandon Moreno
Urijah Faber	Bantamweight	35 years	Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz	Bantamweight	35 years	Henry Cejudo
T.J. Dillashaw	Bantamweight	36 years	Aljamain Sterling
Henry Cejudo	Bantamweight	36 years	Aljamain Sterling
Kenny Florian	Featherweight	37 years	José Aldo
Frankie Edgar	Featherweight	37 years	Max Holloway
The Korean Zombie	Featherweight	35 years	Alexander Volkanovski
Josh Emmett	Featherweight	37 years	Yair Rodriguez
Tony Ferguson	Lightweight	36 years	Justin Gaethje
Michael Chandler	Lightweight	35 years	Charles Oliveira
Pat Miletich	Welterweight	35 years	Carlos Newton
Gil Castilo	Welterweight	37 years	Matt Hughes
Demian Maia	Welterweight	39 years	Tyron Woodley
Tyron Woodley	Welterweight	36 years	Kamaru Usman
Jorge Masvidal	Welterweight	35 years	Kamaru Usman
Jorge Masvidal	Welterweight	36 years	Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman	Welterweight	35 years	Leon Edwards
Kamaru Usman	Welterweight	35 years	Leon Edwards
Alexander Volkanovski	Lightweight	35 Years	Islam Makhachev
Colby Covington	Welterweight	35 Years	Leon Edwards
Alexander Volkanovski	Featherweight	35 Years	Ilia Topuria

Gaethje is the favorite entering this fight, being a native lightweight competing against a bulked-up Max Holloway, who has lost at lightweight before.

BMF champions are a legitimate champion in the eyes of the UFC, who provide the holder with PPV points – so it begs the question, does this UFC ‘curse’ apply to BMF champions too?

Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway Betting Odds UFC

Gaethje is a considerable favorite sitting at -175, with Holloway at +150 (via BetOnline). It could be time to cash on ‘Blessed’ with the history of aged-UFC fighters in title fights — BMF or not.

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