Holloway def. Gaethje
KO · overhand right · Round 5 · 4:59
Gaethje vs Holloway — BMF Title · UFC 300
What happened
Max Holloway authored the defining moment of UFC 300. Having out-boxed Justin Gaethje for most of five rounds, he pointed to the canvas in the final seconds and dared Gaethje to trade — then dropped him face-first with an overhand right with roughly one second left, winning the BMF title by last-instant knockout at 4:59 of the fifth.
- Holloway controlled most of the fight with faster, more elusive striking before the closing theatrics.
- He pointed to the ground, invited the brawl, and landed the overhand right with about one second left — later named 2024's Knockout of the Year.
Watch
The full fight.
More videos · 6 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments
Analysts
No verified pre-fight analyst picks are logged for this historical bout.
Track record rows appear only when a timestamped source has been reviewed.
Archive
Pre-fight material — kept for transparency, folded by default.
Tale of the Tape
Records & career stats — as they entered fight night
- 6.29 6.91
- 50% 59%
- 6.83 4.61
- 73% 81%
- 78% 54%
- 25-5-0
- Record
- 26-7-0
- 4-1 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 3-2 last 5
- Orthodox
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- Orthodox
- 12:09
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
- 16:39
- USA
- Nationality
- USA
- Elevation Fight Team · Denver
- Team
- Gracie Technics · Honolulu
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Gaethje
Gaethje's route was the familiar power-and-leg-kick equation. If he could slow Holloway's movement and force pocket trades, the heavier single shots could make Holloway's volume too dangerous to sustain.
Case for Holloway
Holloway's case was pace, range and composure at lightweight. He needed to out-layer Gaethje without standing still for too long, then keep building damage into the later rounds where his durability and output usually separate him.
What We Were Watching For
- Gaethje's leg kicks against Holloway's stance switches and footwork.
- The spinning kick at the end of round one, which breaks Gaethje's nose and changes the physical terms.
- Holloway's final-second decision to trade in the center instead of coasting to a decision.
Fighters
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