Max Holloway won his Ultimate Fighting Champsionship fight Saturday night in inecredible style as, amid a barrage of punches by both fighters and time ticking away, Hollowayt connected to knock out opponent Justin Gaethje.
UFC President Dana White called the contest “the fight of the year.”
The match took place at UFC 300 in Las Vegas, according to ESPN.
Holloway dominated most of the fight, with Gaethje unable in the early rounds to get Holloway in a position to deliver very much punishment while absorbing a kick to the face that left his nose severely injured.
Gaethje staged a comeback in Round 4 with a punch that staggered Holloway, but Holloway soon regained control and was cruising for a victory.
But that was not how it ended.
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With 10 seconds left, Holloway moved to the center of the Octagon and signaled to Gaethje to duel with him as time ticked away.
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Gaethje responded, and soon the two men were whacking away until a Holloway right hand sent Gaethje to the canvas at 4:59 of the round.
Writing for Yahoo Sports Jack Baer said the move was hardly sensible.
“It really needs to be stated outright: Holloway had no reason to do that. He outstruck Gaethje 181-103 over the course of five rounds, including a spinning backheel that potentially broke the veteran lightweight’s nose at the end of the first round. It was later revealed that Holloway was indeed up 3-1 on two of the judges’ scorecards going into the fifth and final round,” Baer wrote.
“A rational fighter in that position would spend the final 10 seconds doing everything he could to prevent Gaethje, one of the most popular knockout artists in the sport, from getting the one punch he needs to rip victory out of certain defeat,” he wrote.
But the fight ended with Holloway unleashing a punch that transformed what would have been a big win into a huge victory.
“I’m him! I’m him, guys!” Holloway shouted during a post-match interview.
He pointed toward featherweight champ Ilia Topuria, who was in attendance.
“There’s ‘El Matador.’ He’s running away from the bull!” he said.
Holloway also threw a challenge at lightweight champion Islam Makhachev
“That’s why Max Holloway is beloved,” UFC president Dana White said after the fight.
“He’s got the fight won and in there with one of the most dangerous fighters in the business. That’s like movie s-t-. It’s the fight of the year. If something beats that as fight of the year, holy s–t.”
