Justin Gaethje is planning on taking some time to recuperate from his stunning knockout defeat to Max Holloway at UFC 300.
In probably the wildest sequence ever seen to close a fight, Gaethje was knocked unconscious with a single second remaining in the final round of their ‘BMF’ title clash in Las Vegas earlier this month in a stunning moment that will no doubt be one day enshrined in the UFC’s Hall of Fame.
But while the moment will live long in the record books, Gaethje says that he will not be rushing back to the cage and must take some time to properly allow his body and mind to heal after the violent conclusion to the contest.
“Metaphorically, I could be ready tomorrow, but physically, I do want to take care of myself,” Gaethje said to the MMA Hangout, as noted by MMA Fighting. “I do think that repeated concussions, with me going to sleep like that, me receiving that shot, it would be foolish for me to jump back into training anytime before 180 days.
He added: “I could do cardio, I can stay in shape, that’s what I want to try and do, especially the older I get, the harder it is to get back to the best shape of my life, so I want to stay active. Obviously the physical contact is going to be limited for quite some time, just because I want to preserve myself.
“I think six months, at least, before I get back to taking shots. But that doesn’t say that I wont be training the whole time.”
A six-month timeframe would, in theory at least, make Gaethje available for the organisation’s traditional year-end bumper cards in New York in November or in Las Vegas in December.
