What is there to say about UFC 300? It is often the case that such occasions fail to live up to the hype. The desire for an event of this scale to provide the knockouts, submissions, and fight-to-the-finish classics that fans come to expect when a card is stacked with this much world-class talent, top to bottom.
At the end of the night, though, we are only really talking about one fight and one moment outta Las Vegas.
With the honorary "BMF Title" on the line, Max "Blessed" Holloway solidified his sterling reputation amongst the MMA faithful as the most aggressive, no-quit, fan-serving slugger in the UFC organization. A BMF, if you will. But as he acknowledged in post-fight social media messages, "it takes two to tango," and like the fans, Holloway acknowledged his opponent, Justin Gaethje, for his valiant display of violence in the five-round slugfest for the official BMF Title.
After his early round domination, including a spin kick that broke Gaethje's nose, a bulked-up Holloway faced bone-crushing resistance from Gaethje's iron hands going into the third. The most notable moment in these exchanges came when Gaethje landed the first-ever knockdown of Holloway in his career. However, Holloway remained consistent in his suffocating volume striking, which concluded with 181 significant strikes to Gaethje's 103.
The defining moment of the event... fight... man, came in the final ten seconds. Holloway called Gaethje to the middle of the cage, and instructed him to "stand and trade." And trade they did. Both fighters rattled off vicious combinations in a moment reminiscent of Holloway's 2016 fight against Ricardo Lamas. In a moment that can be viewed as charity for the defeated Gaethje or stupidity for the winning Holloway, it was unquestionably a moment of bad-motherfuckery.
And with only one second remaining on the clock, Holloway connected. Gaethje fell. And fans everywhere shouted in stunned disbelief at the iconic knockout they just witnessed.
Afterward, UFC President Dana White announced that Holloway won both the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses, which in honor of the special event were valued at $300,000 each.
Beyond the financial rewards, this was a needed victory for Holloway. While not on a slide, there was a reason that the Vegas odd-makers had him +136 going into the fight. Holloway had lost his three previous 145lbs title bouts against Alexander Volkanovski. His previous trip to 155lbs was a convincing loss to Dustin Poirier, who Gaethje KO'd in his most recent fight.
The result sets up Max for a title fight back at 145 with Ilia Topuria. Regardless of the result of that contest, the watching fight fans have reassurance that they will certainly be "blessed."