Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje left it all in the Octagon in a BMF battle for the ages on Saturday night.
Two of the wildest and toughest strikers in the UFC faced off in the fan-favorite match at UFC 300, which saw “Blessed” get an iconic knockout with one second left.
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The Hawaiian put on a masterclass and was seconds away from a clear unanimous decision victory when he pointed to the canvas and invited Gaethje to trade blows in the center of the cage.
With the clock at 4:59 in the fifth round, Holloway connected with a devastating right hand to leave his opponent out and face down on the canvas.
Despite the bruising back and forth, it was all love between the Baddest Motherf***ers after the fight.
Heartwarming footage showed the pair kissing backstage at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and displaying their mutual admiration.
“Why the hell did you hit so hard?” Holloway joked with Gaethje.
“My leg is very painful.”
After hugging him, “The Highlight” walked away with a wry smile while repeating the word “you” as if to show his appreciation for the new BMF.
The former interim lightweight champion was the target of a KO of the Year contender that left him momentarily unconscious on the mat.
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After losing his BMF status, Gaethje updated his fans to assure them that he was okay after the scary knockout.
“I’m in a good mood with my family,” Gaethje posted on social media.
“Thanks for all the love. What a sport.”
One fan replied: “You are an absolute savage!
“Lots of love and respect to you Justin. You went out there to commit violence and put in serious effort to make it a great fight,” said another.
“It was awesome to see 2 warriors in the octagon tonight,” added a third.
“Thank you for the opportunity to witness this story. Legend!” posted another one.
Gaethje also took the opportunity to congratulate former featherweight king Holloway for his virtuoso performance.
“@BlessedMMA you are a dog. Congratulations. Well deserved double bonus #ufc300,” he wrote.
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Dana White increased the bonus from $50,000 to $300,000 ahead of UFC 300 – and in his post-fight interview, Holloway claimed the biggest bonus ever.
“I want $600,000,” he said. “It was the fight of the night.”
Holloway finally got what he demanded after knocking out Gaethje, winning “Fight of the Night” as well as “Performance of the Night” alongside Jiri Prochazka.
Holloway was moving up a weight class to challenge for the BMF belt from Gaethje, who won the belt last July with a stunning head kick KO over Dustin Poirier.
It was only the second lightweight fight of Holloway’s career, but it was the Hawaiian who looked more comfortable in the fight against perennial 155-pound contender Gaethje.
Holloway dominated his opponent in every round and put on a boxing clinic over 24m and 59s of action.
He also appeared to break Gaethje’s nose at the end of the first round with a stunning spinning kick.
Immediately after the fight, Holloway jumped on the mic to call for a title fight with 145-pound champion Ilia Topuria and current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
“I’m him, guys! I’m him!” » Holloway said in front of Topuria who was sitting at the edge of the cage.
“El Matador, he runs away from the bull and runs for his life. It’s time to sign the contract. Spain, Hawaii, whatever.
“Even Islam,” Holloway continued. “Islam is famous for defending against the 45ers, right? I’m him. I’m here.
“Any weight, I’m a gladiator. I don’t care. Whoever’s next, sign on the dotted line, let’s go.”
Topuria apparently accepted the fight and told reporters that his next opponent would indeed be Holloway.
“We clearly have the next fight. It will be Max Holloway,” said the Georgian-Spaniard.
“We talked about it in the meeting, nothing concrete, but if he won he would be next.”
“El Matador” called upon the UFC for his first defense of his featherweight title, in Madrid, Spain, this year, and it appears Holloway will be the one to challenge him.
