"Overrated fight” - Fans annoyed by Max Holloway receiving FOTY and KO of the Year for Justin Gaethje win at UFC 300

Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje etched their names into the history books following their UFC 300 clash. The pair went to war for the BMF title, with the Hawaiian securing the victory after landing a knockout punch with just one second left in the fifth and final round.

Many suggested that the knockout was arguably greatest knockout in UFC history, and following ESPN MMA's end-of-the-year awards, Holloway was awarded Knockout of the Year. Moreover, the fight was also given Fight of the Year honors, a decision that has not sat well with fans, despite their collective agreement that Holloway deserved to win the KOTY award.

ESPN MMA's announcement read:

"THE KO HEARD AROUND THE WORLD Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway's epic bout at UFC 300 wins two awards for 2024."

Catch the post below:

One fan branded the BMF title clash "overrated," listing Dricus du Plessis' fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 as a far more suitable candidate for FOTY.

@madGorkhali wrote:

"Overrated fight. Not fight of the year. DDP-Izzy was much better."

@CaptainKangaJew added:

"Fight of the year? Absurd. It was a one-sided affair."

Others also appeared to be in agreement. @RealKiTsKorner chimed in, saying:

"Fight of the year? It was a shutout lmao"

See more fan reactions below:

Screenshot of fan reactions to Holloway winning KO of the Year and FOTY for UFC 300

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Max Holloway confirms move to lightweight following first KO loss

Max Holloway suffered the first knockout loss of his career when he faced Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. The pair clashed for the featherweight title, with the Spaniard successfully defending the belt for the first time via a third-round KO.

Ahead of the bout, 'El Matador' was certain he would be the first fighter to stop Holloway via KO, and did just that. Following the loss, 'Blessed' confirmed that he would be moving to lightweight with the hopes of defending his BMF belt.

In a video that was uploaded to X by @ChampRDS, he said:

"Ideally International Fight Week, Las Vegas.. Making my return to 155 [pounds]. And me being ranked at [155 pounds] is great. Hopefully, I can fight somebody in front of me... The BMF title is a 155 [pound] title. So, if it's the BMF title with someone, so be it. If it's a No.1-contender fight for 155 so be it. Whatever [the] UFC wants to throw at me."

Catch Max Holloway's comments below: