Max Holloway is undisputed ‘BMF’ after epic UFC 300 knockout of Gaethje

Max Holloway had just one word for fans when he addressed the crowd at the UFC 300 ceremonial weigh-ins: “Violence.”

That is exactly what he and Justin Gaethje delivered on Saturaday with Holloway winning the BMF Title in spectacular fashion when he landed a literal last-second knockout punch that mixed martial arts fans may never forget.

On his rise to becoming featherweight champion, one of Holloway’s star-turning performances was at UFC 199 when he fought one-time title challenger Ricardo Lamas. Holloway was comfortably ahead on all scorecards yet when the cageside clapper sounded to indicate the final 10 seconds of the fight, the pride of Waianae, Hawaii planted his feet in the centre of the Octagon and asked Lamas if he wanted to trade hands and brawl until the final horn. 

Lamas obliged, the two went wild with Holloway landing the cleaner shots, and the final horn sounded with both fighters getting a standing ovation and Holloway adding an exclamation point to a dominant win.

A T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night, Holloway was ahead of Gaethje on the scorecards after four rounds of action and was continuing to have success in the final five minutes.

There was no need for Holloway to do what he did next but in the most BMF move imaginable, Holloway decided to play a track from his greatest hits. He invited Gaethje to the centre of the cage just like he did Lamas, the two started swinging, and this time only one fighter was left standing.

This BMF Title matchup served as the people’s headliner, so to speak, at the blockbuster event in Las Vegas even though it was listed third on the main card behind the two traditional title fights in the main and co-main events.

It lived up to the hype for 24-plus minutes. Holloway’s highlight finish exceeded even the wildest expectations for how the bout might conclude.

Gaethje had said earlier in the week he doesn’t “plan on being alive” after his fights, illustrating his kill-or-be-killed mindset when he competes. Thankfully, the 35-year-old regained consciousness and was able to stand on his own as Holloway’s hand was raised.

Holloway, 32, holds the record for most total and most significant strikes landed in UFC history and he added to those totals Saturday by connecting on 181 significant strikes compared to 103 for Gaethje.

Looking bulked up at 155 pounds opposed to his usual 145, Holloway’s added muscle meant his punches had a bit more pop behind them. Not only that, his footwork was terrific and he was able to slip the majority of Gaethje’s biggest knockout attempts.

Gaethje’s most effective strike throughout the fight was the low leg kicks he thudded into Holloway’s left shin and calf. It was a Holloway kick, though, that was a turning point early in the bout. A spinning kick in close appeared to injure Gaethje’s nose at the end of the opening round and had an impact on Gaethje’s breathing later in the fight.

Both fighters were wearing custom shorts for the event. A small detail but another that added to the special nature of this matchup.

There was brief a pause in the action in Round 2 after an accidental eye-poke from Holloway. Roughly 90 seconds later, Holloway’s right thumb inadvertently caught Gaethje’s other eye.

The inaugural BMF Title fight at UFC 244 ended in anticlimactic fashion when the cageside physician called a stop to the fight because of a deep laceration above one of Nate Diaz’s eyes, so fans held their collective breath when the doctor was examining Gaethje. 

Jorge Masvidal got the win over Diaz that night in 2019 but never defended the BMF belt. The UFC put the BMF title back up for grabs last summer at UFC 291 for Gaethje’s rematch with Dustin Poirier out in the rematch.

The symbolic title represents a willingness to go out on one’s shield in an effort to win and Gaethje did exactly that in his attempt to become the first to defend the BMF belt. He showed that same heart in his wins over the years with Poirier, Eddie Alvarez, Michael Johnson, Edson Barboza, Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler that helped him gain the reputation as the most violent man in the most violent sport.

Holloway, meanwhile, has also been a BMF from the very moment he made his UFC debut back in 2012 when at 20 years old he took a short-notice fight against Poirier. His only other time competing at lightweight prior to UFC 300 was when he moved up to compete for an interim title while he was the reigning featherweight champ. He lost that fight by five-round decision, also to Poirier, but the lightweight version of “Blessed” we saw fell Gaethje was something different entirely.

On a card that featured several star-making performances and eight highlight finishes, including Alex Pereira shutting off Jamahal Hill’s lights in the main event, Holloway stole the show at UFC 300 in true BMF style.

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