Sherdog’s 2024 Knockout of the Year

It was as if Max Holloway called down a lightning bolt from Zeus himself.

In the last second of the last round of his remarkable “Fight of the Year” with Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight titleholder unleashed a nuclear right hand and brought their violent clash over the symbolic BMF title to an instant close on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The mixed martial arts community stood in collective amazement, as the Hawaiian’s handiwork left Gaethje prone and unconscious in the center of the Octagon. Sherdog’s 2024 “Knockout of the Year” had been authored.

For Holloway, it served as welcome vindication.

“Brother, I was counted out,” he said at the post-fight press conference. “People were telling me, ‘What are you doing? Justin’s too big, too strong.’ Just a lot of stuff. People needed to get reminded, and I let them know. I was telling people all week, ‘I’m him. I’m here, and you guys need a reminder.’”

Gaethje ran into trouble right away. Holloway appeared to break his nose with a spinning back to the face late in the first round, making it virtually impossible for the ex-World Series of Fighting champion to breathe properly. Nevertheless, Gaethje pressed onward. He hammered away at Holloway’s lead leg with powerful kicks to the thigh and calf but had no answer for the Hawaiian’s speed and output. Down on the scorecards, Gaethje somersaulted forward and attempted a rolling thunder kick in the waning seconds of Round 5. As he turned to face Holloway, he was beckoned forward to exchange in the center of the cage. The two action heroes swung at one another with reckless abandon for the better part of 10 seconds, until Holloway connected with a devastating right hook. Gaethje faceplanted into the canvas, as he was on the receiving end of one of the most spectacular finishes in UFC history.



“If that’s not a BMF moment, I don’t know what is,” Holloway said. “If the cards were flipped and Justin felt like he was up, I know he would give me that 10-second shot. He’s a bad man, and I don’t know if I’m ever going to share the Octagon with him again. He’s a legend. This is the type of stuff you do to etch your name in the history books. I’m just happy that I was the one landing. He missed some shots, and I was getting hurt by the wind of his shots. That’s how hard he hits.”

Rarely had Gaethje been the nail to someone else’s hammer. In fact, it was the first one-punch knockout loss of his outstanding 35-fight career. Holloway credited the Arizona native for accepting a high-risk fight with so little to be gained in terms of upward trajectory within the lightweight division.

“He had everything to lose,” he said. “He still took this fight, UFC 300, the biggest fight card for the next decade probably. To go out there and do what we did, you know, we both got paid, so I’m happy for that. Even the fans, you know, pushing him for this fight, Justin accepting the fight, getting my flower shorts, crazy championship-like walk. It was just an amazing night.”

The two men were awarded matching $300,000 bonuses for “Fight of the Night,” with Holloway pocketing an additional $300,000 for “Performance of the Night.” Once he awoke from his brief but very public slumber, Gaethje had no misgivings about having gone out on his shield. Such bravado has earned him almost universal adoration throughout his time in the sport.

“This is my job,” Gaethje told Title Sports Network. “I do this for the money, and if I was to take a heavy wrestling approach, [the UFC] would never be paying me what they’re paying me now. I’ve had huge fights, pretty much because of the way I fight, so I have no regrets.”