Midnight Mania: Even Holloway Knows He Got Dropped At UFC 300

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

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Max Holloway is still riding high after his all-time great knockout win ov…


UFC 300: Pereira v Hill
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Max Holloway is still riding high after his all-time great knockout win over Justin Gaethje (watch it) at UFC 300 a couple weeks ago. The “Blessed” Hawaiian scored a BMF title thanks to the victory, but he also lined himself up for another shot at Featherweight gold opposite current champion Ilia Topuria.

The fight itself will go down in history as a masterclass performance, as Holloway touched up Gaethje in every round prior to the buzzer-beater knockout. However, that’s not to say Gaethje didn’t also find his own success. “The Highlight” landed quite a few heavy low kicks that bruised up Holloway’s lead leg, and he certainly landed some clubbing hooks upstairs too.

One such right hand caught Holloway upside the the hide and briefly sent him to the floor. Holloway bounced back up and fought back immediately, but it appeared to be the first knockdown against him in an already legendary career! Officially, however, it wasn’t deemed a knockdown, as the UFC statisticians are UFCStats.com do not recognize the exchange as a knockdown.

Even Holloway knows that’s bulls—t, however, and he admitted as much on the “JRE MMA Show”

“It didn’t count as a drop, which is crazy,” Holloway said (via MMA Junkie). “ESPN is posting and saying like in however many fights I’m with the UFC, I still didn’t get dropped. That’s some bulls—t. Give Justin that one. Like, I’ll take it, you know what I mean? But I wouldn’t be a man sitting here and telling you that he didn’t.”

“Bro, I don’t even remember getting hit with that punch,” Holloway continued. “And then I sat, and I came back up. I was like, ‘What the – what did he just hit me with?’ You know what I mean? I was like, ‘Holy s—t!’ I was like, ‘That was a good punch.’

“Then when I rewatched it, he hit me like right on the top of my dome. I was like, ‘Holy smack, brother. This guy smacks.’ I was fine as soon as I got up, but it was one of those like, ‘Boom.’ The legs just give out. Like, I was still there, even when I was standing, I was looking at him. But I don’t know how that didn’t count as a drop. I don’t know what they count as a drop.”

It’s a bit reminiscent of when Colby Covington became the first man to take down Kamaru Usman in their second fight … only for UFC statisticians to say it wasn’t a takedown! MMA isn’t boxing or wrestling, so the standards for a knockdown and takedown can be different from the base sports, but where’s the line?

Apparently, not even a decorated champion like Holloway is certain.

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.