He was the underdog at UFC 300 until Max Holloway shocked the world with a last-second KO of Justin Gaethje.
“Brother, I was counted out,” he said in the post-game press conference for Saturday's event. “People said all sorts of things to me like, 'What are you doing, Justin is too big, too strong?' I needed to remind people, so I let them know. I kept telling people all week, “I am he.” I want to remind everyone, 'I'm here.' ”
Holloway gave them one, then some. Reactions to his knockout quickly filled the social media feeds of MMA fans around the world. Among them were several of his colleagues cageside at T-Mobile Arena, as well as former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who defeated him three times.
Volkanovski perfectly embodied the journey Holloway took fans on in the final 10 seconds of their five-round BMF title fight. Up until that point, the fight seemed to be trending toward a decision that Holloway would win easily. Gaethje was told to apply more pressure from his corner. However, Holloway was able to overcome his opponent's momentum and was well on his way to becoming the third BMF champion.
Obviously, that wasn't enough. Holloway pointed to the canvas and begged Gaethje for a long hit, just like he did against Ricardo Lamas at UFC 199 nearly eight years ago. By his next fight, Holloway had won his first UFC belt, the interim featherweight title.
The potential turnaround for a last-second slugfest was entirely on Gaethje. But Holloway still decided to give it up because he felt he could give back, he said.
“If that's not a BMF moment, I don't know what is,” Holloway said. “I thought if the cards had turned over and Justin had won… he would have taken the shot for 10 seconds.”
The obvious question after UFC 300 is, will anyone mandate Holloway to center the octagon again?
“I hope so,” he said. “If you want to be a man, if you want to be great, that's what great fighters do. When I said I was a gladiator, everyone thought I was lying. I'm not lying. .Anyone can get it, no matter what the weight.”
With such a result, the list of options facing Holloway is long and varied. As a man of the hour, and potentially a man of the year, he could fight various top-tier opponents at featherweight or lightweight. Even featherweight champion Ilya Topuria has broken from her previous position, advising Holloway and other 145-pound veterans to retire because they won't give them a title shot.
With a lightweight title shot on the horizon, UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that Dustin Poirier will face Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. The idea of moving back to 145 pounds wasn't a bad idea for Holloway.
“I have options. It feels great,” he said. “My husband is happy, [UFC COO Hunter Campell is] Happy, [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby is happy. We will discuss it with our team and resolve it.I saw they just announced [lightweight title fight]So it looks like he finally gets to defend against his favorite '55er.
“Like I said, there's 'El Matador.' He's doing his best to escape from the bull in the cage. That's why I'm here.”
Holloway has already changed the name of his belt to “Blessed Man Forever,” which is an appropriate name given his career-defining moment.
“This is what I do to carve my name in history, and I'm really happy that I was able to carve my name in it,” he said. “The wind blew and I was injured.” [Gaethje’s] Shots… it's how hard he hits. ”
“That was a really big moment for me. I was very lucky to be a part of UFC 300 and to have this event. This event will be talked about for a long time,” he later added. “We don't know which cards will feature more than 12 champions. We might have to wait until UFC 400, but that's a long way off.”
