Max Holloway yet isn’t legal to drink alcohol, but he had plenty to celebrate at UFC 150 in Denver on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Hawaiian featherweight, the youngest active fighter on the UFC roster, improved to 6-1 with a second-round finish of Justin Lawrence.
In a close, back-and-forth first round, Lawrence landed effective strikes, but Holloway opened a deep cut over Lawrence’s right eye with a right to the temple as Lawrence charged in. Holloway also landed a pair of low blows in the round.
Holloway opened up late in the second, backing Lawrence off with a knee and dropping him with a wicked punch to the liver. Lawrence covered up as Holloway opened up his offense until referee Josh Rosenthal stopped it at 4:49 of the round.
“We wanted the fight of the night and we put it out there for the fans,” Holloway said of he and Lawrence’s performance.
Lawrence, an Ultimate Fighter 15 contestant, dropped to 4-1 on his career.