Alexander Volkanovski wasn’t surprised to see Max Holloway defeat Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.
On Saturday, Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) not only defeated Gaethje to win the BMF title, but he also knocked him out in a stunning last-minute finish. Although Volkanovski expected Holloway to win, he admitted he was surprised by the knockout finish.
“The biggest moments of this card were obviously Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “I told you not to count Max Holloway out. I couldn’t believe how people were talking about it as if they were on a completely different level. Even different sizes.
“Yeah, I was very surprised by how people were talking about it because I hadn’t thought of that at all. Of course I didn’t expect him to get knocked out. It was a surprise to me. But I expected him to be very competitive or have a chance to win. I picked him to win.”
Volkanovski never understood those who began to doubt Holloway after he lost three title fights. Other than the loss to Volkanovski, Holloway hasn’t lost at featherweight since 2013.
“He was leading by four rounds and one with one second left,” Volkanovski said. “That’s when he got the finish, but with 10 to 15 seconds left he was like, ‘Let’s do it.’ That iconic moment with Justin Gaethje when Max Holloway was already four rounds up. Talk about BMF, mate, kudos to him for that. That was pretty incredible. Then they just go for it.
“Max was even winning in the exchange, but then boom, it was gone. I didn’t see it coming. …Again, I was expecting him to win, but… , it wasn’t. An incredible performance. Like I said, Max never lost it. Regardless, after the last game it felt as if Max was done and dusted himself off. No, that’s not it at all. He was always such a good guy, and you just saw it again. Credit to Max Holloway.”
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