Max Holloway spectacularly knocked out Justin Gaethje to become the new BMF champion at UFC 300.
‘Blessed’ was seemingly up on the scorecards in the fifth round, but he pointed to the floor and gave his opponent a chance to win in the final moments of their BMF title fight on Saturday night.
Gaethje landed a big punch but it didn’t impact Holloway, who returned with a massive overhand right that sent him crashing face-first to the floor.
Veteran referee Marc Goddard waved off the UFC 300 fight with just one second left on the clock and triggered wild celebrations from everyone inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Holloway got into a striking flow early as he landed several eye-catching headshots throughout a surprisingly tactical first round between two of the wildest fighters in the UFC.
Gaethje landed several hard leg kicks but ultimately left the first frame with a broken nose that was caused by a last-gasp spinning kick that almost sent him flying out of the cage.
Unfortunately, the standout blows in round two were eye pokes.
Both men landed good shots, but it was two inadvertent fouls from Holloway that led to stoppages and a warning from the referee.
‘Blessed’ really picked up the pace in round three and landed a barrage of strikes that floored Gaethje and put him on the verge of a famous title win.
Gaethje recovered and continued to hammer away with leg kicks that caught the attention of UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who seemed to think they were the most damaging blows.
Holloway continued to impress in round four but it ended badly as he was dropped for the very first time in his 12-year career with MMA’s premier promotion.
The former featherweight champion bounced back to his feet and seemed unhurt, even if his pride was dented by his brief brush with the UFC canvas.
Holloway continued to beat up Gaethje in round five, but he wanted to end the fight in style, so he pointed to the floor and invited his opponent to thrown down.
It worked, as he landed a knockout shot that Rogan called the ‘greatest KO of all time’ during his immediate post-fight reaction.
Dana White upped the bonus money from $50,000 to $300,000 ahead of UFC 300 – and Holloway thinks his performance deserves the biggest bonus of all time.
“I want $600,000,” he said. “That was Fight of the Night.”
Holloway may just get it, and another title fight against new featherweight king Ilia Topuria following a standout performance at UFC 300.
News Summary:
- Max Holloway scores ‘greatest knockout ever’ to beat Justin Gaethe in final second of BMF title fight at UFC 300
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