MMA Knockout of the Year 2024: Max Holloway elevates to a higher plane against Justin Gaethje

Iconic. Legendary. Unbelievable. Exemplary. Take your pick on how to best describe what Max Holloway did at UFC 300. Any of those make sense, but none do it justice.

We were promised the greatest event in MMA history in April 2024. As often as guarantees have been broken throughout professional fisticuffs, UFC 300 stunned by actually living up to its billing. And in one of the most magnetically, hype-accruing matchups fight fans could imagine, Holloway and the then-BMF champion Justin Gaethje brought T-Mobile Arena to its knees like only they could.

As a result, Holloway earned Uncrowned's 2024 MMA Knockout of the Year.

Heading into UFC 300, the former featherweight champion had fought just once at lightweight since joining the UFC in 2012. In that sequel clash against Dustin Poirier, the pair delivered a somewhat forgotten instant classic in front of an exhausted Atlanta crowd in April 2019. Holloway was far from outclassed in his unanimous decision loss to Poirier, but still not quite at his best.

So when the Gaethje fight was booked, considering Holloway's three losses to Alexander Volkanovski and the stain of that Poirier setback, some fans were concerned for "Blessed." Gaethje was back on track, as dangerous as ever, perpetually personifying what it means to go to war inside the cage.

As exciting as the bout looked on paper, this was not supposed to be Holloway's time for a 155-pound return. The oddsmakers agreed, placing Holloway as the opening underdog at giant +225 odds.

But then the fight began — and Holloway was prepared, snapping back the head of the BMF champion with crisp boxing that only further familiarized itself with Gaethje's face in the following rounds.

From monstrously accurate spinning back kicks, to a durability that shouldn't have been surprising, Holloway stayed one step ahead. He looked arguably better than ever walking through the lightweight fire before getting his hand raised via an inevitable, lopsided decision.

Well, that was until he did the thing.

Always do the thing, Max. We love it.

In a chill-inducing act of ungodly bad-motherf***erness, Holloway decided a BMF title win needed a BMF title ending after Gaethje tossed out a rolling thunder kick attempt right before the 10-second clapper.

"Let's go," Holloway said as he pointed to the ground.

Fists start flying from every direction, bringing longtime fans back to the night of UFC 199 on June 4, 2016, when Holloway first introduced us to his epic fighting spirit against Ricardo Lamas. Holloway remained firmly in control of the slug-off and then connected with a right hook from hell, slumping a lifeless Gaethje face first into the shadow zone — with only a single second left on the clock.

This was the MMA equivalent of unnecessarily running up the score with a losable lead at the buzzer in a championship game. It was pure sporting entertainment, cinema of the highest order — and from a guy who was largely counted out and never supposed to succeed as much as he did against Gaethje, let alone win by knockout against one of the toughest individuals in human history.

Holloway was already a fan-favorite and must-see fighter. With one punch, he transcended to a different plane, leaving him the luxury of any option he wanted next in two divisions.

For further perspective, it was only Holloway's second clean, one-shot knockout in a decade. It was the ultimate "you had to be there" moment, and even if you weren't, watching it back will never get old.

2. Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway, UFC 308

Unfortunately for Holloway, that storybook start to 2024 didn't come with a happy ending.

We saw a glimpse of what was to come for "Blessed" in Round 4 against Gaethje, when he was dropped for the first time in his UFC career. I don't care what the official stats say — that was a knockdown and anyone with eyes knows it. And then UFC 308 came around.

With Holloway returning to featherweight to reclaim his 145-pound throne against the new king, Ilia Topuria showed why Spain's own may be the division's next generational superstar, extending his perfect record to 16-0 with another stunning knockout of an all-time great. The champ put the finishing touches on an epic, high-level striking matchup with a picture-perfect left hook in the pocket to send Holloway to the mat.

It was a year of never-before-seen moments for Holloway. He just happened to be on both the delivering and receiving ends of them.

3. Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan, UFC 308

Rarity makes the best knockouts. Whether that's with someone's first-time tumble like the previous entry, or with a technique no one — except for Shara Magomedov — has ever conceived of.

Any spinning backfist knockout is awesome. The twirling, dance-like punch has become more common over the years but still isn't an annual fight finisher. But throwing two at once?

Hey, that's double the odds, right?

Against Armen Petrosyan, Magomedov perfectly executed a double spinning backfist — which he apparently practices and showcased at that week's open workouts. Creativity doesn't get much better than this, folks.

We've either seen the beginning of an incoming trend or a man who caught lightning in a bottle for one night only.

4. Alex Pereira def. Jamahal Hill, UFC 300

Alex Pereira quite possibly possesses the most dangerous weapon in MMA history.

"Nuclear" doesn't even begin to describe the patented lethal left hook of the UFC light heavyweight champion. Pereira has chinned many opponents throughout his fight career with that signature shot.

And at UFC 300, on relatively short notice for a championship defense, Pereira laid the bricks to Jamahal HIll like it was just another day in the gym.

After a shot to Pereira's groin briefly halted the action in Round 1, the champion waved off referee Herb Dean — essentially dictating the action himself. It was somewhat comical in the moment, but no one was laughing seconds later when Pereira stepped into a seemingly tame hook that sent Hill's eyes rolling back into his head. The follow-up punches were just as deadly as the cannonball that sent Hill to slumber land.

Good night, UFC 300. What a capstone it was.

5T. Dustin Poirier def. Benoit Saint Denis, UFC 299

Diamonds are forever.

UFC 299's co-main event was supposed to be a changing of the guard at lightweight after Dustin Poirier suffered a brutal knockout loss against Justin Gaethje in his bid for the honorary BMF title belt. However, Louisiana's finest had other plans against France's Benoit Saint Denis.

"BSD" was riding high as the unstoppable new force at 155 pounds, buoyed by a five-fight win streak of UFC finishes and pegged the betting favorite in his clash with Poirier. A strong start for the rising contender gave validity to that narrative, but in Round 2, a vintage Poirier right hook landed as clean as it gets.

Even on the last legs of his career, Poirier still delivers yearly contenders for your favorite sleeper snipe.

5T. Vinicius Oliveira def. Benardo Sopaj, UFC Vegas 87

There's nothing quite like a flush flying knee.

Vinicius "Lok Dog" Oliveira has been one of the most exciting prospects rising through the bantamweight ranks since his "Contender Series" arrival in 2023. In 2024, the Brazilian kicked off his UFC career with a replacement opponent, Benardo Sopaj, who put up a quality effort despite the limited prep time.

Unfortunately for Sopaj, he was largely picked apart en route to a would-be decision loss — until "Lok Dog" backed him up late in Round 3 and jumped into a skull-crushing strike.

The knockout had all the violent style points you could ask for. The momentum of both men moving in the same direction before the cage wall halted Sopaj culminated with a slow-motion, ragdoll-like flop. Aesthetically brutal and captivating all at once.

What a year for highlights.

Here is how Uncrowned's MMA team voted for 2024's Knockout of the Year:

Honorable mentions:

• Ilia Topuria def. Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 298

• Jon Jones def. Stipe Miocic, UFC 309

• Eun Bi Cho def. Momoka Yamazaki, DEEP Jewels 44

More from Uncrowned's 2024 MMA awards:

• Fighter of the Year (Male and Female)

• Breakthrough Fighters of the Year

• Events of the Year

• MITHY Awards (Mindenhall's Best of the Rest)

• Emerging Hotbeds of the Year

• Retirements of the Year, Ranked

• Biggest Winners and Losers

• 2024's All-Violence First Team

• Biggest Surprises

• Weirdest and Wildest of the Year