Max Holloway scores ‘greatest knockout ever’ to beat Justin Gaethje in final second of BMF title fight at UFC 300
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.
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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 triggered wild celebrations from everyone inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas when he waved off the UFC 300 clash with just one second left on the clock.
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 after eating a last-gasp spinning kick that almost sent him flying out of the cage.
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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.
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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.
Heartwarming footage shows UFC stars Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway embrace backstage after iconic fight
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.
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Dana White upped the bonus money from $50,000 to $300,000 ahead of UFC 300 - and Holloway called for the biggest bonus of all time.
"I want $600,000," he said. "That was Fight of the Night.”
White ranted his wish and also gave $300,000 to Jiri Prochazka for his second-round knockout win against Aleksandr Rakick earlier in the evening.
Speaking specifically about Holloway vs Gaethje, White said: "It was incredible. That fight sucked the f***ing life out of everyone tonight.
"The next two fights everyone was sat there looking dead, it was a massive adrenaline dump.
"People always ask me what I do, I sell holy s*** moments for a living.
"That was the ultimate holy s*** moment of all time. If you were at home, if you were in a bar or you were live tonight there is no bigger holy s*** than that.
"That's why Max Holloway is beloved - and Gaethje. How many times have you seen a fight when you know the guy is winning, they click the ten-second thing and then the guy puts his hands up and just moves around?
"He's got the fight won and he's in there with one of the most dangerous f***ing fighters in the business and he says 'let's do this' and they both oblige.
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"One second left and a knockout like that, that's like movie s***."
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