UFC 300: Max Holloway scores knockout of a lifetime over Justin Gaethje

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Saturday, April 13, 2024 | 7 p.m.

Updated Sunday, April 14, 2024 | 12:06 a.m.

With 10 seconds left in the “BMF” title fight Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena, Max Holloway motioned for Justin Gaethje to meet him in the center of the octagon and exchange punches. With one second left in the fight, Gaethje was unconscious.

Holloway had no reason to do anything but cruise to a sure decision victory, but he chose instead to brawl and was rewarded handsomely with a knockout victory over Gaethje at 4:59 of the fifth round. The former featherweight champion took home $600,000 in bonuses — Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night for $300,000 apiece — in addition to his base pay and solidified himself as an all-time legend of mixed martial arts.

Holloway said that was the whole reason he moved up a weight class to challenge Gaethje, and he ended up achieving his goal in a major way.

“We had so much to lose and nothing to gain for this fight but we did it for you guys,” Holloway said underneath a standing ovation and an avalanche of cheers in the sold-out venue.

The landmark UFC 300 will be remembered for Holloway’s big moment, though two other lineal champions retained belts after his bout with Gaethje.

Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira also got a knockout, though his came about 22 minutes faster. The first clean punch Pereira landed against Jamahal Hill in the main event dropped the former champion.

Pereira followed up with ground-and-pound to secure his first successful title defense.

“I don’t let this belt go to my head,” Pereira said through a translator in the octagon. “I have to go in here every fight and win this belt…I want to continue defending this belt.”

The first step will be matching the title reign of women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang, who defended her title for a second straight time in the co-main event with a unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) over fellow Chinese fighter Yan Xiaonan.

Zhang appeared to choke Xiaonan unconscious at the end of the first round, but the officials and medical personnel allowed the fight to continue.

“We thought she was out but she bounced back,” Zhang said through a translator.

Gaethje had to fight through his own adversity to get through to the final bell. After a mostly even first-round, Holloway broke Gaethje’s nose with a spinning back kick in the final second.

The final-second fireworks were an omen of things to come, or maybe even a continuation of a trend already seen earlier on the pay-per-view card.

The previous lightweight bout between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan had a similarly nail-biting finish, as the former had the latter in an arm-triangle choke as the final seconds ticked off.

Tsarukyan survived and claimed a split-decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) that seemed certain before the late suspense.

“I want to fight for the title next,” Tsarukyan said in calling out lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who previously defeated him by unanimous decision in 2019.

UFC President Dana White announced Makhachev will actually face Dustin Poirier next, at UFC 302 on June 1 in Newark, N.J., but Tsarukyan could be in line for the winner. White also revealed a blockbuster main event, Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, for the previously-announced UFC 303 on June 29 date at T-Mobile Arena. 

Almost every non-champion winner on the card asked for a title shot afterwards except for Bo Nickal, who opened the pay-per-view card with a submission victory over Cody Brundage at 3:38 of the second round.

Nickal improved to 6-0 as perhaps the most decorated middleweight prospect of all-time but said he needed more seasoning before fighting for ultimate gold.

“I’m going to keep winning these fights,” Nickal said. “I’m going to keep dominating.”

The fighting spirit isn’t all about dominating, however, as the Holloway vs. Gaethje spectacle exemplified. Holloway won comfortably but wanted more than just another decision.

He risked everything and got an unimaginable knockout in return.

“I’m a gladiator,” Holloway said. “I don’t care.”

Read below for live round-by-round updates of the main card and scroll to the bottom of the page for full results from the preliminary card.

Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill

First Round Two prolonged wars in the previous two fights gave way for an all-time quick finish. Pereira and Hill felt each other out for the opening three minutes without much action, then one left hook from the champion sent the challenger to the canvas. Pereira followed Hill there with ground-and-pound strikes, and the official stepped in. Fight over. Pereira retained his light heavyweight title via TKO at 3:15 of the first round.

Weili Zhang vs. Yan Xiaonan

Fifth Round At least the fight finished appropriately — with Zhang dominating but just slightly unable to put Xiaonan away. The pace slowed, but the script stayed the same. Zhang took down her opponent pretty earl and began seeking submissions. Xiaonan refused to quit. Xiaonan should retain the women’s strawweight championship by unanimous decision. The score comes out to 49-44 in her favor on the Sun’s scorecard. The fight was wild but had the unenviable task of following Max Holloway’s instant-classic knockout of Justin Gaethje.

Fourth Round Xiaonan dropped Zhang again early in the round, but it was all the champion from there. Zhang seemed to remember that all she needed to do to dominate was take Xiaonan down, and she reacted appropriately. Zhang slugged Xiaonan repeatedly on the mat but the challenger fought off multiple submission attempts. It’s incredible she’s still alive in this fight, but the medical professionals have again cleared her to keep going. 10-9 Zhang in the fourth, 39-35 Zhang overall.

Third Round An all-time comeback is now at least a distinct possibility. After coming within seconds of getting stopped in the first round and inches from it in the second, Xiaonan roared back to control the fight in the third. Zhang was gassed from how close she came to finishing, and Xiaonan sensed it. She capitalized by dropping her twice with strikes. Xiaonan even held her own in the grappling. Zhang was never close to being finished, but she desperately now will need to find a second wind. 10-9 Xiaonan in the third, 29-26 Zhang overall.

Second Round The only question worth asking is, how is Xiaonan still alive? Zhang completely battered her for the second straight round — this time more with strikes than grappling. Zhang mounted Xiaonan near the end of the round and rained ground-and-pound. She stopped to attempt another choke, and though her arm triangle appeared to have a shot, Xiaonan fought through it and wound up in top position. The challenger ended the round on her feet landing a couple punches, a moral victory but not much more than that. 10-8 Zhang in the second, 20-16 overall.

First Round Another wild final second, for the second straight round between two different fights. Xiaonan survived only by the bell after Zhang locked in a deep guillotine choke and cranked for the final 20 seconds. Xiaonan stumbled to her corner and recovered after getting completely controlled by Zhang in the final minute. The challenger had her moments before that, even taking down the champion early in the fight in a relative shocker. But a late Zhang spinning backfist changed the momentum. 10-8 Zhang.

Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway

Fifth Round Gaethje pumped up the crowd to start the round, and then the two fan favorites started to deliver. Gaethje attacked and found some success but it was ultimately to his detriment. Holloway rocked him with a combination about two minutes into the round. Gaethje survived after covering up near the fence, and eventually started coming forward and throwing in the middle of the cage. That was the scene in the final 10 seconds when the two threw caution to the wind and started trading. Holloway knocked Gaethje out cold with one second remaining on the clock.

Fourth Round With one minute left in the frame, Gaethje came to life. He’s now got a chance after dropping Holloway with a counter right hand. It was Holloway who had been countering Gaethje effectively for the opening 19 minutes of the fight. He seemed to be on the way to cruising to another frame in his favor before Gaethje landed the biggest strike since Holloway’s spinkick in the first round. 10-9 Gaethje in the fourth, 39-37 Holloway overall.

Third Round Gaethje got cracking; Holloway answered. The first two minutes trended In Gaethje’s favor with a couple kicks to the body and a nasty left hook but then Holloway began countering. Holloway wobbled Gaethje with a right and followed up with another spinkick that landed mid-round. Holloway’s combinations then started scoring. Gathje isn’t getting blown out as badly as the score indicates, but he’s in a hole regardless. 10-9 Holloway in the third, 30-27 overall.

Second Round Holloway mostly picked Gaethje apart, though not always legally. The fight was stopped twice due to illegal eye pokes, though Holloway was only officially warned after the second. Another eye poke should result in a point deduction for the former champion. Holloway also landed some kicks to the body and found the rhythm with his jab for a stretch. A big exchange at the end was even, but Gaethje has some work to do. 10-9 Holloway in the second, 20-18 Holloway overall.

First Round The fireworks most were expecting here didn’t materialize in the opening five minutes. The two just felt each other out on the feet for the majority of the round. Gaethje did land a few sparks though. He seemed to be winning the boxing exchanges, at least until Holloway began working his jab more in the final minute or two. He then landed a spinning back kick in the final second that may have broken Gaethje’s nose. Holloway stole it. Holloway 10-9.

Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Third Round The pace slowed considerably over the first half of the final round, though Tsarukyan did seem to be getting the best of the exchanges on the feet. He shot for a takedown anyway, and Oliveira didn’t come close to stopping it. Tsarukyan transitioned to Oliveira’s back before the latter scrambled and was able to lock in a triangle-choke attempt in the final seconds. Tsarukyan apparently just barely survived as the fight ended in one of the most suspenseful finishes imaginable. The scorecards could be interesting, but the Sun scores the third round 10-9 for Tsarukyan and gives the fight to him 29-28. The judges side with Tsarukyan over Oliveira by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

Second Round Oliveira had some early success on the feet, but Tsarukyan slammed him to the ground and controlled the final several moments. Oliveira was able to neutralize Tsarukyan to not get severely hurt, but the latter rained enough elbows and punches in the full guard to open a cut on the latter’s forehead. The fight continued to trend in Tsarukyan’s direction, but either fighter could claim victory in the final round. 10-9 Tsarukyan, 19-19 overall.

First Round An illegal kick marred an otherwise great round. Who says grappling can’t be excited? Almost the entire five minutes were spent on the ground after Oliveira, who got the biggest cheer of the night as he walked out, dropped for a standing guillotine choke. It looked like it had a chance of working but Tsarukyan managed to get out and eventually reversed position. He was working for a leg lock with a knee still down when Oliveira kicked him in the chin. The doctors came in to check Tsarukyan and cleared him to continue. Tsarukyan had the momentum late, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the early trouble. 10-9 Oliveira.

Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage

Second Round Brundage fended off one takedown attempt, and actually tossed Nickal aside to get a gasp from the crowd. He might have landed a punch before the inevitable then happened — he planted Brundage with a double-leg takedown. Brundage stayed alive for the grappling in a while but Nickal eventually worked his way to a rear naked choke and forced Brundage to tap out at 3:38 of the second round.

First Round Well, Brundage survived. Nickal is officially out of the first round for the first time in his UFC career. The undefeated prospect took Brundage down twice and had a shot at a rear-naked choke midway through the round but the veteran fended it off. The final few minutes of the round consisted of Nickal just pressuring Brundage into the mat. 10-9 Nickal.

Pre-main card

Las Vegas has a reputation for drawing late-arriving crowds to UFC events.

Not tonight.

T-Mobile Arena was already packed before the first fight on tonight’s milestone UFC 300 card between former champions Deiveson Figueiredo and Cody Garbrandt. The fans were treated to a preliminary card that lived up to the considerable hype, starting with Figueiredo submitting Garbrandt via rear-naked choke all the way through to former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka knocking out Aleksandar Rakic.

Five fights remain to welcome the UFC into its new centennial. Five big fights.

Three titles are on the line starting with what mixed martial arts fans have been referring to as “the people’s main event” between former featherweight champion Max Holloway and former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

The showdown is slated for five rounds with the “BMF” belt Gaethje won off Dustin Poirier last July at risk.

Two lineal titles are up for grabs after that. A pair of Chinese fighters will square off for gold for the first time in the co-main event with women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang facing challenger Yan Xiaonan.

Zhang is a major favorite, about -500 (i.e. risking $500 to win $100), but that’s uncommon compared to the rest of the card.

The main event, light heavyweight championship bout between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill is a virtual pick’em. Pereira is a small favorite to defend his belt, but some would argue it’s not his belt to begin with.

Hill vacated the title upon rupturing his Achilles tendon in a basketball game last summer, and returns off the gruesome injury in less than a year.

The opening two bouts are a lightweight tilt between former champion Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan after a showcase for undefeated middleweight prospect Bo Nickal against Cody Brundage.

The 10 fighters still to compete have a lot to live up to from the preliminary card, but the spectacle of UFC 300 seems to be brining the best out of everyone.

Read below for full results from the preliminary card and check throughout the main card for updates.

Jiri Prochazka reasserted himself in the 205-pound division by being the last man standing in a light heavyweight slugfest. Prochazka finished Aleksandar Rakic via TKO at 3:17 of the second round after the two exchanged wild strikes to the delight of the crowd.

Aljamain Sterling defeated Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision, winning every round on every judge's scorecard, in his featherweight debut. The crowd booed the locally-based fighter throughout, but he didn't seem to mind as he put on a clinical performance repeatedly taking down Kattar.

Kayla Harrison guaranteed she'd be a UFC champion by the end of the year, and surely no one would dispute that after the former Professional Fighters League champion ragdolled Holly Holm in her octagon debut. Harrison officially stopped Holm by submission at 1:47 of the second round of their women's bantamweight championship, but it's a miracle that the former champion even lasted that long considering the amount of damage she took.

Diego Lopes viciously stopped Sodiq Yusuff via TKO at 1:29 of the first round of their featherweight bout. Lopes immediately rushed to UFC President Dana White to plead his case for a $300,000 Performance of the Night bonus, and he just might be the leader through the preliminary bouts.

Renato Moicano supplied the first upset of the night in the lightweight decision. Moicano took down Jalin Turner in both rounds, ultimately earning a TKO victory at 4:11 of the second. He lived up to his reputation for wild post-fight speeches, as he cursed profusely despite an edict not to do so on the ESPN broadcast and detailed how he could not afford to lose and wouldn't stop until he won a championship.

Former women's featherweight champion Jessica Andrade inched a step closer to earning a title shot at women's strawweight with a tightly-contested victory over contender Marina Rodriguez. Andrade faded but started strong, and that was enough for the judges to award her with a split-decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

The UFC's pre-eminent ironman couldn't pull of a win at UFC 300 to go with his prior victories at UFC 100 and UFC 200, but Jim Miller did avoid getting stopped — barely. The bell sounded with Miller bloodied and dazed as Bobby Green took a unanimous-decision victory (30-27, 30-25, 29-26) in the lightweight bout.

Las Vegas-based bantamweight Cody Garbrandt held his own in the first round, but couldn’t survive going to the mat with former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. The class grappler Figueiredo forced Garbrandt to tap out to a rear-naked choke at 4:02 of the second round.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or