Joe Rogan gifts Max Holloway STUNNING painting of iconic BMF moment from UFC 300

Max Holloway's KO of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 tops Joe Rogan's expectations, earning him a gift from the veteran commentator.

Joe Rogan gifts Max Holloway STUNNING painting of iconic BMF moment from UFC 300

Giddy over his UFC 300 knockout, Joe Rogan gifts Max Holloway a painting (Source: Instagram/IMAGO)

UFC play-by-play and veteran podcaster Joe Rogan has had a long run since UFC 12. He has seen the spectacle of many great things in his time; Max Holloway’s UFC 300 ‘BMF’ moment being one. To him, no knockout beats the hype train of what Holloway did to Justin Gaethje. Now, the commentator takes it upon himself to show his appreciation for the same.

Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) claimed the lightweight ‘BMF’ title in the most spectacular way possible. With one second remaining in Round 5 of their title strap, the 155-pound entrant called to arms, to trade blows. Joe Rogan as usual had quite the animated response to it. ‘Blessed’ was recently at his studio for an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience (The JRE MMA Show #155). Rogan gifted him a painting of his post-knockout snap.

So, this is a painting by Ross Baines... I mean come on...that is such an iconic painting...
Joe Rogan via his IG reels (@joerogan)
YouTube video

The painting is by “Ross Baines Art” (@rossbainesart) who does famous commission art pieces. His array of art includes other substantial UFC-related pieces as well. Alex Pereira-vs-Jiri Prochazka’s stoic warrior-esque face-off for the 2023 season is one. Gaethje’s head-kick KO in the second edition of the ‘BMF’ title match is another.

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But by far, capturing Max Holloway’s buzzer-beating swings and overhand until the 4:59 mark is what he has done most. Concurrently, despite being moments away from a decision win, even ‘The Highlight’ obliged, making it a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Rogan, consequently, considers it the greatest KO of all time. Hence, he went to the length of probably commissioning and presenting a life-size painting for the fighter.

What do Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje say of Joe Rogan’s favorite knockdown moment?

The 3rd iteration of the 155-pound ‘BMF’ fight at UFC 300 (ESPN+) truly and unequivocally was the best one yet. Despite being ahead and on the way to a sure-shot decision win, Max Holloway’s point-to-the-canvas striking call to Justin Gaethje surprised many. But, no more than Joe Rogan. After the UFC 300 post-fight broadcast for ESPN MMA, he even called it his greatest KO yet.

Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje have their takes on Joe Rogan's relished BMF knockout
Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje have their takes on Joe Rogan’s relished BMF knockout (Source: Instagram/ USA TODAY (@USATODAY) / X)

Holloway and Gaethje have their own takes on it. Blessed returned to the lightweight scene after a whole five years. Hence, he had been rigorously prepping for the weight shift and for the consensus-hitter that is Gaethje.

Everybody kept telling me 'Max you kept getting hit so much,' like, yeah...okay. You might see me get hit but we aren't sparring...But, this Justin Gaethje one [camp], brother I was going to the gates of hell. We had to bring back sparring [laughs]...I was ready to be a crash dummy against [my team and coach]. I told my coach ‘this is a man that’s very dangerous, we need to get into the thick of it.’
Max Holloway via The JRE MMA Show #155

Despite leading up to an outcold knockdown, Gaethje, 25-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC performed to the best of his abilities. Closing the distance and leaning into Max Holloway’s definitive strikes, he incurred quite a few close-call moments. Accordingly, he says he had quite a limited comprehension of how this match would go.

Max was very good that night, ...very hard to touch. Very hard to punch... Very hard to read... I think I probably went in there with too many misconceptions on what was gonna occur, and it’s not something I allow myself to do too often. So I do think that was a mistake that I made. Having a plan. I went in there, got punched, and I had to make those adjustments, but he was just so good that night that I couldn’t find an answer...Mad props to him.
Justin Gaethje via his Official YouTube channel (@justin_gaethje)

Alongside, the Waianaese lightweight also similarly lauded Gaethje’s power and kicks. He also credited the opponent for having scored a knockdown in Round 4. All in all; the duo maintains much reverence for each other.

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