This Max Holloway vs Justin Gaethje fight had a ton on the line. It was insanely high stakes for both guys. More for Gaethje since Holloway was up a weight class and Justin had a probable title shot approaching soon, but still, if Holloway got knocked out or lost big I do think it would have hurt Holloway's career slightly too.
Both fighters are legends and nothing was going to change that after tonight no matter what happened.
Tonight proved to be Max's night. Not only was it Max's night but Max went NUTS and had the best performance I think I've ever seen from him. Max not only reminded everyone how good he was, but his legacy absolutely leveled up.
NEW MYTHICAL CHARACTER UNLOCKED: FLORAL SHORTS HOLLOWAY
Src
For five rounds Max outclassed Gaethje and made it look pretty easy. Just clean and crisp. Max broke Justin's nose early and poured it on from there.
Then at the very end of the fight, like a TRUE BMF, Max does something he has done before, and that is he invited Justin to the center of the cage for a good old fashioned swing fest.
Inviting Justin into the center, up a weight class was a ballsy move even if Justin was a bit of a shell of himself. Justin's power is pretty notorious. But for about eight beautiful seconds these men swung at each other ruthlessly and BAM Max puts Justin's lights out.
Pure savage artistry. What MMA is all about. A real OG moment. Might be the best knockout ever! Might be my favorite ever!
Src
Just watching this clip, I can feel in my gut this is going to be timeless. Max pretty much became truly immortal in MMA if he wasn't already. Like, his legacy was already pretty elite, but this feels different.
It would have only been better if it was for an undisputed actual Title, but heck the BMF title was still on the line!
This whole matchup and everything was just perfection.
I did say in my preview post that Max needed to put on some muscle and man did he ever! He looked really big tonight.
Massive props to Justin too. This moment is significantly greater thanks to his reputation and talent as a fighter. Getting knocked out like that is brutal and overall Justin really did take a lot of damage.
I did say Max outclassed Justin but, it wasn't entirely awful really. Justin landed a few power shots and he was a threat most of the fight, always there lingering, being game and competitive.
I can't help but wonder if this fight is a little different if Justin never gets his nose broken. But it was a clean shot by Max and so, perhaps even pointing out that 'what if' slightly discredits Max's skills and the fact that he did do that damage. There's a trillion what if's in fighting and sports.
People often belittle fighters when they go out on their shield. They'll say things like 'I respect it but is wasn't wise' or make a CTE joke or something like that.
But man, screw all that. If I gotta speak for all the brutes of the world, I shall.
The amount of balls and grit it takes for Justin to actually trade and put it ALL on the line like that is something special. After taking a beating like that and still be willing to trade like that, I just can't help but respect it.
Raw, pure fearlessness.
At UFC 300 both these dudes made history. There were two other title fights but um, who cares. Real MMA fans will never forget this bout right here! Glad I was here in this time to witness it.
Max can basically do whatever he wants at this point. He's in an amazing position. Title opportunities in both featherweight and lightweight. Money fights for days otherwise.
For Justin, man. This changes a lot. I think if he takes at LEAST ten months off and maybe gets two good wins he could still go for the title. Seems hard to imagine after a really rough fight like this but if anyone could do it, it could be Justin. I just hope the dude got paid well and is on some strong medication right about now.
