I have watched MMA for over 30 years and covered the sport for over a decade.
In all those years of experience, I have never seen anything like Max Holloway’s KO win over Justin Gaethje in the BMF title fight on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at UFC 300.
In case you missed it, take a look at the crowd-view video posted by The Athletic:
Here is a post from FanDuel Sportsbook that captures the moment the TV audience enjoyed.
You can look at the clips above and absorb some of the greatness of the moment from Holloway, but full context is needed to understand what the former featherweight champion accomplished on Saturday night.
Holloway dominated almost every moment of the scrap with Gaethje, except for being dropped for the first time in his career in the fourth round from a hard overhand right.
When Holloway scored the explosive KO with just one second remaining in the fight, he was on his way to an easy unanimous decision victory.
One judge inexplicably scored the fight even after the fourth round. Still, Holloway had hurt Gaethje in the fifth round before the explosive finish.
It seems safe to assume Holloway would have won the fight 49-46×2, 48-47, even if he had not ended things so definitively.
Consider Holloway didn’t need to buy into the BMF nature of the fight to win, which makes his decision to stand on a dime and put Gaethje to sleep even more impressive.
Here’s a look at some of the reactions from MMA fighters and others in the UFC community.
For further perspective, Gaethje is not just a lightweight who is comfortable at 155 pounds. He is a former interim lightweight champion who competed with and beat his division’s best.
This is the guy Holloway finished with one of the most amazing KO finishes ever. For even more context, Holloway was only in his second fight at 155 pounds.
He didn’t just look solid; he looked like he could easily challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound crown. After losing three decisions to Alexander Volkanovski, some may have believed Holloway’s run as an elite championship contender was over.
That’s not the case.
Arman Tsrukyan defeated Charles Oliveira in an exciting main card bout. He would seemingly have the inside track on a rematch with Makhachev for the lightweight title.
Perhaps that means Holloway should drop back to 145 pounds to try to regain the title he lost to Volkanovski. Hollway called out Ilia Topuria during his post-fight interview.
In any case, Holloway’s performance may ultimately be the most memorable moment from the UFC’s biggest event in history.
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