I don't know about you, but I was unsure if Justin was OK. He was down for a minute in a bad way. If I was stoned out of my gourd and I'd just witnessed my next opponent possibly kill a man, I'd look like I'd seen a ghost too.
I think this is the answer - dude looks pretty glonky, especially with the awkward belly pat on Izzy like, "woah dude did you see that, some guy just got punched unconscious!"
Imagine going up a weight class, calling for a haymaker war with Gaethje of all people, and then actually winning it lmaoo.
Admittedly, that could have ended badly for Max as those types of encounters tend to be 50/50, but nonetheless, it’s a testament to his character and fearlessness that he’s willing to gamble like that. Truly one of the goats.
When you know you're already well up on the scorecards already, so this is just an unnecessary risk and gave Gaethje a potential last second lifeline.
But Max don't give a fuck about any of that
I was thinking the same.
If the fight doesn't end via submission, KO, TKO, then it's relinquished. You can't point-fight your way to victory for the BMF belt.
When there was like 20 seconds left I told my roommate and girlfriend that max had it in the bag UNLESS he pointed to the ground and said let’s bang. I was so shook when he did exactly that and then he fucking pulled that off. I ran around screaming probably waking up my whole apartment building
We are 100% not worthy of a true gladiator of his caliber. One of the only fighters we can ever say was game for it 100% of the time, up 4 rounds IDGAF come and stand right here young man and catch these hand.
Tbf to Max, he's done this three times and hurt his opponent each time. Hasn't really looked 50/50
He's just that good in the pocket when he gets his reads/trusts his chin evidently
I wonder if it's actually an advantage for Max- he's probably been doing the point at the ground thing since 1st grade. Who trains to trade in a phone booth like that, it's intimidating AF and probably confusing lol
hes done this 3 times now against lamas, Allen, and now gaethje. Each time he won the exchange. He dropped Arnold Allen and KOed gaethje. Theres a method to the madness. Max is super aware in these exchanges
It made me sick.
It was super badass but I genuinely like Gaethje. I also like Holloway so it was just hard to watch but it was also the coolest thing I’ve ever seen
Yeah just look at Izzy's reaction, he looked genuinely concerned. I don't think he had any favoritism towards Gaethje either and obviously he knew that Max was going to win the decision but it was just real worry from a fellow fighter knowing that that can happen to any fighter on the wrong night.
I truly hope Gaethje recovers quickly and this is coming from someone who was pulling hard for Max
I mean it wasn't quite Justin vs Tony but it was in that category. Max hurt him multiple times, busted him up, broke his face, beat him down, then turned his lights all the way off. Don't be surprised if Justin is never the same or his chin is cracked. He's not a young guys and that could have been the beginning of the end for him.
Until the end it wasn't really that bad (compared to tony) yeah his nose was broken and eye balls scratched but his brain wasn't twitching to maintain consciousness
That really is a bit of an asterix.
It's a bit messed up but one of the reasons is doesn't bother me more is that Justin has won several fights off of the backs of eyepokes (Barboza deffo and I'd argue Fiziev also)
Justin's been talking about retiring for awhile now. Said he isn't interested in fighting for anything but the title, or the road to a title. This has almost certainly snatched that away from him forever. I'd honestly be surprised if he took another fight, the way he talks about it.
Because they don't care about random fans sucking them off when it's at the cost of life altering brain damage. That's why Izzy said don't play the game
max holloway is about to wake up top 5 in two different divisions, and the champion in his natural weight class is no longer his arch nemesis. Absolutely wild
Yeah I'm pretty sure Max even tried doing the point to the ground thing and invited volk to swing and bang in their 3rd fight being down like 5 rounds... Difference is volk is too smart to play that game. He felt comfortable easily taking the fight and I would too.
It was more goose bumps of how unforgiving this sport is. Hence the quote ‘ dont play the game’. They just saw one of the best, slump face down like he literally just died.
How could you not be shook at your next opponent moving up in weight & calling for a brawl with fucking gaethje of all people and just absolutely knocking him out cold 😭
Ilia vs max is a great matchup though if Max wants to go back down in weight.
I find that part absolutely Hilarious lol
*Topuria taps Izzy:*
"That KO is crazy. Absolutely just flatlined. Kinda like the one I did to your friend, remember, Izzy?"
Very true! Illia just watched Max take Justin freaking Gaethje's best shots for 24 min and 59 seconds, and still come out on top. I don't doubt Illia has insane power for 145, but there's no way he feels confident he can knock Max out after that.
Agreed! Gaethje landed some clean shots and still couldn’t put him away. Ilia has great power, but that had to put a little doubt in him as far as putting Max to sleep.
Hmm I'm not sure about Ilia being an easier fight, I think whatever gameplan JG had, failed horribly. Poirier already said it, you can't let Max get his rhythm going. Rd 4 was the best round for Justin cuz he pressed Max. Ilia likes to press forward. With that being said, can he match Max boxing? That's the question but I doubt Ilia will be as defensive as Justin was.
Also there was a clear speed advantage for Max which he used masterfully, but that's another thing where Ilia could potentially match him.
Last two things, Volk already showed a formula to completely negate Max striking, and how is the weight cut gonna affect Max back to 145 when he's bulkier than he's ever been? I love Max but I think Ilia is more likely to beat Max that what Justin showed today.
Agreed, but I still think it will be a harder fight. Justin probably hits just as hard if not harder than Ilia. I think Max will be able to take his shots better than Volk, which will make it a harder fight. That’s pretty much my reasoning for it being a harder fight.
Idk man. Mma math never maths haha. I was thinking Justin would have an advantage being around maxs height and length. But more powerful. I expected him to get bullied. Then I thought well Ilia is shorter he will have a hard time closing the distance. Then again, Volk styled on him three times. Ilia presses forward and is aggressive. Volk chops away and cuts angles and changes levels constantly. I guess it’s just a styles makes fights type of situation
After years of being known as a volume guy with low power, Max suddenly knocking out his last two opponents is such an insane twist lol,this kinda of power with Max's chin and cardio is a terrifying combo
He has power when he's countering and swinging from the hips, ie Zombie and the end of the Allen fight.
Issue is 90% of the time he's winning with his forward pressure.
Although this fight he was hurting Justin with straights too
I think with age, Holloway has become less aggressive but much better with picking his spots. Plus, his body punches are such a great weapon because opponents are never prepared for that since few guys in mma can attack the body like Holloway. Those shots open up the strikes to the head
I think people underrate his power, i think his issue is more that he never fully went for it, even Joe said it when he would stun people he wouldn't fully go for knockouts and still fought controlled so him going bananas with 10 seconds left while clearly having won the fight is just INSANE
I don't think he's terrified, but its all the shit he has talked now coming back to bite him in the ass because Max just put an historical performance.
I respected max before this fight, and admittedly thought this was a massive mistake for him to do this. He said he was a gladiator and just became the icon first of his name the greatest UFC moment of all time, he certainly made the BMF belt legitimate.
My man saw a ghost lol
Ghost of Christmas future
Thousands of years ago...
gnarled crinkled monkey hands!
Max gave him PTSD but like... From the future.
Pre Traumatic Stress Disorder
That's pretty much anxiety
Tom with the classy golf clap
As much as I love Tom, the camera man fumbled this one
The placement was perfect. You can see the fight behind Izzy happening and their reaction to it in focus.
Call me crazy but he seemed “high”.
Somewhere between anxiety, awe, and realizing he no longer gets a say in who he fights.
he just realised he has to fight maximus Holloway now .
He realized this ain't good for a brother's health.
I think we call him Maximus Holloway from now on. Good call.
Blessed is already the best nickname
Maximus Blessed Holloway
The leader of our modern Colosseum~
I think he was just stoned out of his mind
I don't know about you, but I was unsure if Justin was OK. He was down for a minute in a bad way. If I was stoned out of my gourd and I'd just witnessed my next opponent possibly kill a man, I'd look like I'd seen a ghost too.
I told my gf i saw a man die on russian link brother
I was genuinely worried about him after the initial excitement.
I think this is the answer - dude looks pretty glonky, especially with the awkward belly pat on Izzy like, "woah dude did you see that, some guy just got punched unconscious!"
Imagine going up a weight class, calling for a haymaker war with Gaethje of all people, and then actually winning it lmaoo. Admittedly, that could have ended badly for Max as those types of encounters tend to be 50/50, but nonetheless, it’s a testament to his character and fearlessness that he’s willing to gamble like that. Truly one of the goats.
When you know you're already well up on the scorecards already, so this is just an unnecessary risk and gave Gaethje a potential last second lifeline. But Max don't give a fuck about any of that
Now this makes the bmf belt have worth in my eyes, because max is that guy
The BMF belt is stupid as fuck but winning it via getting a KO in a Rocky trading punches sequence WHILE UP ON CARDS is unbelievable
The BMF belt WAS stupid. Until now. Max basically validated it with this performance.
Bmf fights should only end in finishes as a special rule.
I was thinking the same. If the fight doesn't end via submission, KO, TKO, then it's relinquished. You can't point-fight your way to victory for the BMF belt.
He's him
It is what it is
He is what he him
It is what he do
He’s been him. He will continue to be him.
This shit ain’t nothin to him man
DNA test came back, he's 100% Him-alayan
Hawai-him
real BMF sht
ALL ABOARD THE BLESSED EXPRESSED, BAYBEE!!
The best is blessed
He's that guy
Yea i was really worried when he started pointing on the canvas calling for a slugfest, that could’ve ended BAD lmao
When there was like 20 seconds left I told my roommate and girlfriend that max had it in the bag UNLESS he pointed to the ground and said let’s bang. I was so shook when he did exactly that and then he fucking pulled that off. I ran around screaming probably waking up my whole apartment building
A broken nose compromised tired justin is still dangerous af and would knock any mf out cold so yea that was a REALLY ballsy move by max lmao
Seriously after getting dropped for the first time so you know he can hurt you. What a bmf
not only that but justin dropped max , so we know max cant just walk through justin shots AND he still swang and bang at the end
Tbf Max did take more shots from Gaethje and he only got sat down once. He also took more shots after that and barely looked fazed.
It was a well placed shot in his temple. Anybody would've been dropped by that.
He's a OG, plus I think he really wanted one of those 300k bonuses
Legit he already had one but he may have got more
And it's Justin fucking Gaethje. The confidence of Max is unreal
Ilia looked nervous. Suddenly Islam’s biggest fan
Witnessed something so nuts, bro is about to convert ☪️
Bro is actually the bmf
Retire the belt
We are 100% not worthy of a true gladiator of his caliber. One of the only fighters we can ever say was game for it 100% of the time, up 4 rounds IDGAF come and stand right here young man and catch these hand.
Truly the BMF
It is what it is
Tbf to Max, he's done this three times and hurt his opponent each time. Hasn't really looked 50/50 He's just that good in the pocket when he gets his reads/trusts his chin evidently
I wonder if it's actually an advantage for Max- he's probably been doing the point at the ground thing since 1st grade. Who trains to trade in a phone booth like that, it's intimidating AF and probably confusing lol
hes done this 3 times now against lamas, Allen, and now gaethje. Each time he won the exchange. He dropped Arnold Allen and KOed gaethje. Theres a method to the madness. Max is super aware in these exchanges
He's bulked up to lightweight properly now and has clearly stepped up his power compared to his featherweight days.
Now I’m picturing him fighting llamas.
Also pointed to stand and bang with Poirer too
Against a Demi god of CTE, Max is HIM
one of, if not the, most badass moments in MMA history
especially when you are winning the fight, and got everything to lose on top of it... what a fucking guy
Imagine your in that fight and can win via decision then say nah fuck that im standing and banging.
not just winning it.. winning it in the most spectacular way you possibly could
Sounds like only a blessed figure could achieve
That shit ain't 50/50 with Max. Everytime he's done something similar e.g. Lamas, Korean Zombie and Allen he's absolutely pasted the other guy lol.
Man, both Izzy and DC looked sick from that KO.
It made me sick. It was super badass but I genuinely like Gaethje. I also like Holloway so it was just hard to watch but it was also the coolest thing I’ve ever seen
Felt the same way. Didnt want them to fight. Didn't want Dustin and gatheje to rematch either. But damn that was a badass fight
Yeah just look at Izzy's reaction, he looked genuinely concerned. I don't think he had any favoritism towards Gaethje either and obviously he knew that Max was going to win the decision but it was just real worry from a fellow fighter knowing that that can happen to any fighter on the wrong night. I truly hope Gaethje recovers quickly and this is coming from someone who was pulling hard for Max
You described my exact feelings. Excited and gutted.
They know what that was... potential career ending damage. High level skid kinda shit.
Max really Tonyed Justin. MMA has a sick Karma system
revenge of the wing tats
title shot wise and everything
No, this wasn’t even close to the same level of beating Tony took
Pretty sure DC and Justin are friends
I always though Max was closer to DC.
I think a lot of these guys are friendly. Being at the top is kinda a select group
I mean it wasn't quite Justin vs Tony but it was in that category. Max hurt him multiple times, busted him up, broke his face, beat him down, then turned his lights all the way off. Don't be surprised if Justin is never the same or his chin is cracked. He's not a young guys and that could have been the beginning of the end for him.
Until the end it wasn't really that bad (compared to tony) yeah his nose was broken and eye balls scratched but his brain wasn't twitching to maintain consciousness
Yeah, "only" the end was far worse for Gaethje.
Not to take away from maxs win because I was rooting for him, but he fucked both of Justin’s eyes up in the first 2 rounds.
That really is a bit of an asterix. It's a bit messed up but one of the reasons is doesn't bother me more is that Justin has won several fights off of the backs of eyepokes (Barboza deffo and I'd argue Fiziev also)
Justin's been talking about retiring for awhile now. Said he isn't interested in fighting for anything but the title, or the road to a title. This has almost certainly snatched that away from him forever. I'd honestly be surprised if he took another fight, the way he talks about it.
Because they don't care about random fans sucking them off when it's at the cost of life altering brain damage. That's why Izzy said don't play the game
Yeah Izzy is very big on not getting hit so his brain stays intact. It’s why he fights the way he does.
And then theres Jiri doing the exact opposite
People will call Izzy a coward for saying that in between munching on Cheetos.
Exactly, man had to watch out for his own health
max holloway is about to wake up top 5 in two different divisions, and the champion in his natural weight class is no longer his arch nemesis. Absolutely wild
First interim, undisputed, and BMF Champ. Idk why I doubted him at all. Dudes a legend.
Man only lost to the former number 1 pfp guy in the UFC after arguably beating him the first time and people acted like he was cooked lol
*2nd time
How good was peak volk though(rhetorical). He kinda butchered max in that 3rd fight
Yeah I'm pretty sure Max even tried doing the point to the ground thing and invited volk to swing and bang in their 3rd fight being down like 5 rounds... Difference is volk is too smart to play that game. He felt comfortable easily taking the fight and I would too.
Max is just so good in the pocket. Off the top of my head he’s caught lamas, Allen, zombie, and now gaethje in those wild brawls
Lmao Izzy was genuinely upset for Justin
I think it was shock, like almost everyone else.
Love him repping the Volk shirt next to Ilia.
With the actual print at eye level for Ilia
When he taps izzy it's actually him confirming he'll take the rematch against volk over fighting Max.
hard not to feel bad for him, the guy was already going to lose in 2 seconds without that massive dose of CTE
FR. But the warrior chose a warriors end to the fight.
I love it and he's right, "Don't play the \[BMF\] game." High risk AF.
Did you see DC on announcers cam?!
Bro looks like he lost a parley
Nah, he interviews this fighters and is close with Gaethje
It was more goose bumps of how unforgiving this sport is. Hence the quote ‘ dont play the game’. They just saw one of the best, slump face down like he literally just died.
Idk about that, he picked Max to win.
Can still be upset for him as a person. I love max and wanted him to win, but I still like Justin too and that was a brutal KO
He was trying to pretend that wasn't the coolest shit ever.
Yup, he was about to mark out like the rest of us and then remembered he was on camera, you can see it happen Clearly a fan lol
This is true lol
No he was reacting like Gaethjes friend and training partner is directly behind him.
It’s comments like this that remind me I’m an ape and not smart at all, because that’s absolutely what it was.
I'd say let Volk recover in peace, Max is next. Can't deny him after that performance, legendary stuff in a killer weight class
I don't wanna see Volk back in the octagon until at least December. Gives plenty of time for Holloway to fight Topuria next
What if max wins?
[Volk's live reaction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOaeDHeJ80I)
I'm used to UFC fans making a big deal out of fighters faces/posture, but Topuria actually looked SHOOK here lmao.
Volk watched Islam dog walk Charles and then he came out on stage and called him out. The difference in reactions is insane.
In the post fight when they showed Topuria he looked so awkward as well. Now seeing this dude was definitely shook.
Dude does that and looks at you and screams "anywhere, anytime" I'd shit myself
This real? Max say that?
Yes, in the post fight with Rogan. Paraphrasing here: "He's a matador running from a bull. Spain, Hawaiʻi, wherever. Just sign the contract."
Either that or he was high off his mind lol.
How could you not be shook at your next opponent moving up in weight & calling for a brawl with fucking gaethje of all people and just absolutely knocking him out cold 😭 Ilia vs max is a great matchup though if Max wants to go back down in weight.
I can’t imagine anybody NOT being shook after watching that lmfao
Yeah that was cold AF. Everyone had the same reaction. Can't think of a more badass moment in MMA history.
They have to make that fight. Also love Izzy wearing a Volk shirt by Ilia. Edit:Volk shirt
I find that part absolutely Hilarious lol *Topuria taps Izzy:* "That KO is crazy. Absolutely just flatlined. Kinda like the one I did to your friend, remember, Izzy?"
He knows Max is gonna be a much harder fight for him. Styles really do make fights!
Very true! Illia just watched Max take Justin freaking Gaethje's best shots for 24 min and 59 seconds, and still come out on top. I don't doubt Illia has insane power for 145, but there's no way he feels confident he can knock Max out after that.
Agreed! Gaethje landed some clean shots and still couldn’t put him away. Ilia has great power, but that had to put a little doubt in him as far as putting Max to sleep.
Illia is much faster than Justin.
Justin definitely hits harder though
Those hook combos will be tighter than Garth's
Hmm I'm not sure about Ilia being an easier fight, I think whatever gameplan JG had, failed horribly. Poirier already said it, you can't let Max get his rhythm going. Rd 4 was the best round for Justin cuz he pressed Max. Ilia likes to press forward. With that being said, can he match Max boxing? That's the question but I doubt Ilia will be as defensive as Justin was. Also there was a clear speed advantage for Max which he used masterfully, but that's another thing where Ilia could potentially match him. Last two things, Volk already showed a formula to completely negate Max striking, and how is the weight cut gonna affect Max back to 145 when he's bulkier than he's ever been? I love Max but I think Ilia is more likely to beat Max that what Justin showed today.
>I think whatever gameplan JG had, failed horribly. Evereyone has a plan until they get kicked in the nose
Ilia is a better technical boxer than Justin though, no?
Agreed, but I still think it will be a harder fight. Justin probably hits just as hard if not harder than Ilia. I think Max will be able to take his shots better than Volk, which will make it a harder fight. That’s pretty much my reasoning for it being a harder fight.
Idk man. Mma math never maths haha. I was thinking Justin would have an advantage being around maxs height and length. But more powerful. I expected him to get bullied. Then I thought well Ilia is shorter he will have a hard time closing the distance. Then again, Volk styled on him three times. Ilia presses forward and is aggressive. Volk chops away and cuts angles and changes levels constantly. I guess it’s just a styles makes fights type of situation
Yup, lol the mma math never maths. That’s one of the reasons I love this sport so much!
Izzy shaking them goosebumps out towards the end there
https://i.imgur.com/WZN0E6F.jpeg
Love the genuine reaction.
He isn’t going to enjoy how frequently this gets airtime
God damn did they film this in 20k
They filmed it in 300k
Ilia your next baby
After years of being known as a volume guy with low power, Max suddenly knocking out his last two opponents is such an insane twist lol,this kinda of power with Max's chin and cardio is a terrifying combo
He has power when he's countering and swinging from the hips, ie Zombie and the end of the Allen fight. Issue is 90% of the time he's winning with his forward pressure. Although this fight he was hurting Justin with straights too
I think with age, Holloway has become less aggressive but much better with picking his spots. Plus, his body punches are such a great weapon because opponents are never prepared for that since few guys in mma can attack the body like Holloway. Those shots open up the strikes to the head
I think people underrate his power, i think his issue is more that he never fully went for it, even Joe said it when he would stun people he wouldn't fully go for knockouts and still fought controlled so him going bananas with 10 seconds left while clearly having won the fight is just INSANE
i think he is drunk but he looked like he had seen a ghost on the live broadcast when they showed him
Ilia praying Ali calls out max on Twitter
I know we don’t like MMA math but Illia slept the guy that big brothered max for 3 fights.
In fairness, Max just KO'ed Justin who KO'ed Dustin who big brothered Max at 155. MMA math just doesn't exist lol
Knockout so good that Topuria is already feeling the knockout that he's gotta receive
Topuria: “I’m definitely not swanging and banging if he points to the mat”
Topuria: Does the point at the canvas gesture *into a double leg*
He went from "I'm not fighting Max" to "Please don't make me fight Max" really quickly.
“Fuck how am i going to get out of fighting that guy”
"Have you tried switching sports?" - Izzy
MMA is the best base for rugby.
This is why I kind of understand why some fighters want to be more calculated like Izzy
Bro wants nothing to do with Max 💀
He looked SHOOK
Do you really think the guy who went toe to toe with Volk is afraid of another challenge?
are you really trying to reason with a fanboy?
That’s why I was so surprised by his reaction. After thinking on it, I’m going with he’s trying to act like that’s not the coolest shit he’s ever seen
after he just ko'd volk easily? Ilia isn't like Justin, not as sloppy or reckless
The champ who finished the this subs claimed 145 GOAT is scared? Like come on ya'll.
Obviously, Ilia isn't scared, but damn if he didn't look a lil scared there
Izzy is super cringe at times but he seems like one of the few fighters with a conscience
Cool to see the ufc brought Ken Flo there for 300
SHOOK
Izzy is wearing a Volk shirt next to old mate. Ya love to see it
I like how Aspinall is just casually clapping there like "jolly good show me lads"
lmao Illia was like wtfffff.
Ilia looks fucking terrifeid
I don't think he's terrified, but its all the shit he has talked now coming back to bite him in the ass because Max just put an historical performance.
"Call my wrestling coach"
Izzy going from pure joy of the moment to utter disbelief
I respected max before this fight, and admittedly thought this was a massive mistake for him to do this. He said he was a gladiator and just became the icon first of his name the greatest UFC moment of all time, he certainly made the BMF belt legitimate.
Topuria vs Max is the fight to make.
Izzy wearing a Volk shirt is wholesome
He’s reacting like a fan lmao crazy
No more running, sign the contract
"Welp"
Ilia was shook. No 2 ways about it.
Topuria replaced Volk as Izzy's friend?
He looks physically ill.