Joe Rogan calls Max Holloway’s UFC 300 submission of Justin Gaethje ‘the greatest knockout of all time’

Joe Rogan witnessed many good things happen in the Octagon during his long tenure as a UFC commentator. But for him, no knockout beats what Max Holloway did with Justin Gaethje in UFC 300.

Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) won the BMF title in the most spectacular way possible last Saturday when he knocked out Gaethje (25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) with one second remaining in Round 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Despite being just minutes away from a unanimous decision victory on the scorecards, Holloway chose to aim for the middle of the cage as the clock ticked down for a fight with Gaethje, who complied before being caught with a right jab that immediately dropped him.

It was a mind-blowing momentand Rogan said on the UFC 300 broadcast that it was the biggest knockout he’s ever seen, considering his range.

“That’s the biggest knockout of all time,” Rogan said. “With so many people writing him off, with so many people thinking he was unarmed, with so many people thinking he had no chance against the firepower of Justin Gaethje, the fact that he asked for this with 10 seconds left in the fight and turn off the lights on one of the most dangerous men to ever fight in the sport.

“The fact that he did it like that too, that he pointed to the center of the octagon, pointed to the ground and said, ‘Let’s play right here’ and then put Justin Gaethje to sleep with a punch. In a fight where many people thought he would be unarmed. Where a lot of people thought he was going to get hurt.”

Holloway, a former UFC featherweight champion, moved up to lightweight for his BMF title fight with Gaethje. “Blessed” hadn’t fought in the category for exactly five years, and he missed his first appearance to Dustin Poirier at UFC 236 in April 2019.

The Hawaiian had more time to prepare for UFC 300 than for the fight with Poirier, and it was worth it. Holloway looked strong and fast inside the Octagon in a brilliant performance that capped off a legendary highlight reel that earned him $600,000 in bonus money.

Rogan said he would have been very impressed with Holloway if the knockout had never happened and he had won on the scorecards. He capped off the strong performance with an unforgettable moment, and Rogan said it only adds to Holloway’s legacy.

“He looked so good,” Rogan said. “But the important thing is to give Max time to prepare for the lightweight division. He looked thicker, he looked denser, he gained muscle and prepared himself to be a terrible fighter. And he knew what he was up against, and that’s what a guy like Max Holloway needs with all his years in the game. We have to remember: Max Holloway is 32 years old, but he got here at 20. And he needs something like this to see how great he really is.

“Listen, Max Holloway is one of the greatest, if not the greatest featherweight of all time. And what you saw is that he is one of the greatest fighters of all time, period. And he’s still 32 years old. He’s at his peak now. I think a lot of people have forgotten that. Those (Alexander) Volkanovski losses, I think a lot of people said, ‘Oh, he’s done.’ But no, he’s better than ever. And he looked sensational.

For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 300.

This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie