‘If the roles were reversed’… Max Holloway reveals what went through his head during last-second KO over Justin Gaethje to assert BMF title

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Former featherweight champion Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway is about to return to the octagon this weekend within the fundamental event of UFC 308, six months after his iconic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje to assert the BMF title.

The viral finish, which ‘Blessed’ scored 4 minutes and 59 seconds into the fifth round, has been etched into the minds of hundreds of thousands of UFC fans world wide – but what was going through Max Holloway’s mind in those crucial final moments?

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Max Holloway reveals what he was considering before iconic last-second KO

Before jumping into the insanity that was Holloway’s last-second knockout at UFC 300, a fast reminder that ‘Blessed’ entered the BMF title fight because the betting underdog, having only fought once at 155lbs before; a call loss to Dustin Poirier for the then-vacant title.

Despite his underdog status, Holloway proved once more why he’s considered to be the most effective strikers within the UFC as he battered Justin Gaethje over the course of 24 minutes and 59 seconds – landing 181 significant strikes to The Highlight’s 103.

“I felt good from the primary round man,” Holloway reminisced on UFC 308: Countdown ahead of his featherweight title fight against Ilia Topuria on October 26 in Abu Dhabi.

“I remember landing that spinning back kick at the tip of the round, saw him almost fall out of the cage and I used to be like ‘Oh wow, that will need to have hurt’… Within the second round, I heard his coach yelling ‘Don’t blow out of your nose’ and I used to be like ‘Wow, his nose really is broken.’

“I felt like I used to be on top of things for the entire fight,” stated the veteran Hawaiian, explaining how “I felt like anything that I could do was working and it felt awesome.” After which got here the shot that stopped the world.

With just 10 seconds to go in a fight that he was winning on two of the judges’ scorecards (Junichiro Kamijo had it 2-2 going into the fifth), Holloway decided to point to the center of the octagon for one final shootout.

“The last 10 seconds, it got here to the finish – a variety of people say, ‘Why would you try this against some of the dangerous 155ers who can put your lights out, you were up 4 rounds?!’

“Because Justin Gaethje is a stand-up guy. And if the roles were reversed, I feel he would’ve given me that shot. He gave me the chance to fight for the BMF belt and I figured I’d give him the chance, with the best way that the fight was going, to retain it.”

The notion that Holloway’s iconic point was simply him giving Gaethje one last likelihood to retain his BMF title, is the precise reason why ‘Blessed’ deserves to carry that silver-plated strap: “It was all guns blazing and to try this against him, the bogeyman of 155, it was just icing on the cake.”

In a separate interview with David Adesanya, brother of superstar Israel Adesanya, Holloway would reveal how he knew that his final punch would land flush on Gaethje’s exposed chin.

“I just desired to close the space, in the event you see it – I’m going body, body, I put my head right to his chest, like right under his chin and I knew that if that is where my head is, I’m going to bring over the appropriate hand… If it lands, it lands, and it did – it was quite a moment.”

A moment that may live long within the memory of those of us lucky enough to have watched the fight live, with Holloway himself describing the sensation as akin to an out-of-body experience.

“I feel it was an out-of-body moment, I feel the couple of seconds before; I [already] knew all the things leading as much as it… Once I finally heard that clap for 10 seconds [left], I went to the middle, welcomed Gaethje and yeah, that was an out-of-body experience after I landed that [punch].”

Can Holloway repeat his UFC 300 dramatics this weekend against ‘El Matador’ – discover this weekend at UFC 308.

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