Max Holloway knocks out Justin Gaethje in the final second of their BMF title fight at UFC 300 – as Joe Rogan calls victory ‘the greatest knockout of all time’
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Max Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje in the final second of their UFC 300 clash.
The former UFC featherweight king moved up to the 155-pound division to face Gaethje in a BMF title clash in Las Vegas.
On Saturday night, the two engaged in an instant classic at T-Mobile Arena, with the showdown between the perpetual fan favorites more than worthy of the BMF moniker.
From the first round, Holloway used his boxing to control the fight and invested early in hitting his opponent’s body.
As the first frame reached its conclusion, Holloway launched a spinning back that caught a dodging Gaethje in the nose, appearing to cause an immediate break and compromise him for the rest of the fight.
The second round was marred by a pair of shots to the eyes which saw Holloway warned by referee Mark Goddard, but after the action resumed the Hawaiian once again set about racking up accumulated damage with a variety of strikes.
Gaethje’s patented kicks remained a threat throughout, but Holloway’s gun-toting pace seemed to drown the 35-year-old as he absorbed shots to the body and head.
In the fourth of five scheduled rounds, Gaethje’s power finally shone when he dropped Holloway to the canvas with a well-timed counter, but the former featherweight managed to recover instantly.
Already a legendary showdown between two of the sport’s most beloved competitors, the fifth and final round would elevate the fights’ status to new levels.
After nearly finishing his opponent on several occasions, as the doorbell rang to mark ten seconds remaining in the fight, Holloway motioned for Gaethje to join him in the center of the Octagon, as he famously did with Ricardo Llamas in 2016.
Both fighters immediately began trading strikes and, with just a second remaining, Holloway landed a perfect right hand to instantly knock Gaethje unconscious.
Speaking after the fight, Joe Rogan called the finish “the greatest knockout of all time” and Holloway gave props to his opponent while calling for a clash with sitting featherweight king Ilia Topuria.
“Give it up for Gaethje, a real BMF,” he said. “He had nothing to gain and everything to lose. I’m him guys. El Matador flees the bull at 145 years old.
“Even Islam (Makhachev). I’m here, I’m here! Any weight, I’m a gladiator, let’s go! I want 600,000, it was the fight of the night and the end of the night.
