"This guy was floating" - Daniel Cormier explains why fighters shouldn't let Max Holloway "get into his rhythm"
Daniel Cormier recently elaborated on the importance of fighters preventing Max Holloway from settling into his rhythm during a fight.
Holloway shocked the world at UFC 300 by securing a buzzer-beater knockout victory over Justin Gaethje, seizing the ceremonial 'BMF' title and astounding spectators with his exceptional performance.
Even though he was clearly ahead on the scorecards, 'Blessed' urged Gaethje to engage him at the center of the octagon during the final moments of the fight. Following this was an unrelenting flurry of strikes, resulting in a knockout that sent 'The Highlight' tumbling to the canvas with only one second left in the fifth round.
During a recent episode of his Good Guy/Bad Guy (via MMA Junkie) show with Chael Sonnen, 'DC' praised Holloway's performance at UFC 300 and urged other fighters to be especially wary when the former featherweight champion hits his stride:
"Watching Max Holloway in there, it was never more clear that you cannot let him get into his rhythm. Max Holloway, when he gets into his rhythm, he is a handful. We have seen him make guys like 'The Korean Zombie', Brian Ortega, we have seen him make Jose Aldo, and now Justin Gaethje; he made them all seem normal."
He added:
"These are not normal athletes. These are assassins. When he gets to flowing, you can’t stay with him. You’ve got to disrupt his rhythm very early. Even if it’s just kicking at his legs like [Alexander] Volkanovski did in fight No.1 to not allow for him to get going. I feel like, when watching Max, who’s one of my best buds, in there this weekend, this guy was floating."
Watch Cormier and Sonnen discuss Holloway's win below (27:12):
Max Holloway shares instant backstage reaction after Justin Gaethje's knockout at UFC 300
Max Holloway recently shared a behind-the-scenes video on his YouTube channel, chronicling the moments leading up to and following his memorable UFC 300 showdown against Justin Gaethje.
The footage captures Holloway's arrival at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with his team, an amicable encounter with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during warm-ups, and Holloway's instant reaction after his astonishing knockout victory over Gaethje.
Check out the full video below:
In the video, 'Blessed' weighed in on the fight and commended Gaethje for his resilience:
"I was hurting him, I was hurting, but f**king a hurt lion is more dangerous. Every time I hurt him, he had the craziest look in his eyes. I was like, 'F**k this. I ain’t trying nothing dumb.'"
Check out Max Holloway's comments below: