“Swift, sharp, slick” – Mike Perry in AWE of clear underdog Max Holloway’s ‘BMF’ journey while questioning Justin Gaethje’s output

Mike Perry takes notice of the tremendous effort Max Holloway put ahead of his lightweight return and monumental BMF title win.

“Swift, sharp, slick” – Mike Perry in AWE of clear underdog Max Holloway’s ‘BMF’ journey while questioning Justin Gaethje’s output

Mike Perry commends Max Holloway on his BMF title win (Source: Instagram/IMAGO)

Max Holloway put a lot of effort into prepping for UFC 300’s BMF title scrap. One could tell things were serious when fight fans started calling the returning 155lber “Maximus Holloway.” BKFC ‘King of Violence’ title holder Mike Perry lauded the effort Holloway put into his physique heading into UFC 300.

Holloway’s point-to-the-canvas call to trade blows with Justin Gaethje was a true BMF moment. Concurrently, it wasn’t just wild swinging; he successfully landed a fateful overhand to put Gaethje away. Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson might consider him an NMF (Nicest Motherfu*ker) recipient. However, ‘The King of Violence’ Mike Perry considers otherwise.

It wasn’t just the end of the fight, Max was performing all night in that ring. He did so good...The shape he was in looked phenomenal compared to Justin...Max, like he had no body fat. You saw all his muscles, he was moving, he was fast, he was swift, sharp, slick. He was touching him up, and he just said it in the last second, ‘Bam, bam, bam.’ Oh my gosh, it was awesome.
Mike Perry to MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura
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Now 26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC, Holloway is the only fighter to have held the undisputed interim and also the ‘BMF’ title strap in the UFC. Already one of the top consensus boxers, the hard-chin volume hitter now boasts significant striking records. Perry himself has emerged as quite an enigmatic powerhouse in bare-knuckle boxing. He next faces ex-UFC fighter Thiago Alves in the BKFC KnuckleMania 4 headliner. 

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‘Platinum’ fully appreciates Holloway’s ‘BMF’ journey. Holloway was the betting underdog, and many people expected Gaethje to retain the title. The Hawaiian fighter controlled the pace from the first minute and was one step ahead of Gaethje at all times. Perry could not help but appreciate how Holloway returned to the lightweight division with an impactful performance.

Mike Perry thinks Justin Gaethje looked out of shape at UFC 300

The last memory of Justin Gaethje before UFC 300 was his highlight win against Dustin Poirier and that iconic backflip from the ledges. No one expected ‘The Highlight’ to have a low output performance at UFC 300. A part of that could be the broken nose he suffered at the end of round one. Nevertheless, Gaethje took himself out of the lightweight title picture with that performance.

Mike Perry thinks Max Holloway had an out-of-shape opponent at UFC 300
Mike Perry thinks Max Holloway had an out-of-shape opponent at UFC 300 (Source: Instagram/ (@ufcontnt) / X)

Mike Perry felt Gaethje looked off even before the nose break. There was no significant size difference between Holloway and Gaethje. As such, Perry felt Holloway fought an out-of-shape opponent.

Justin, who I thought was going to be bigger and stronger looking... He kind of looked out of shape. I mean, he went five rounds...but you look at Max’s physique vs. Justin’s, it couldn’t be compared...
Mike Perry to MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura

As such, Mike Perry thinks Holloway deserves his $600K Fight bonus. His ‘BMF’ performance was one for the ages. Notably, while on the short end of the stick, Gaethje also honored the Hawaiian’s commitment and was willing to trade blows till the last second. It remains to be seen if Gaethje and Holloway will rematch at some point in the future, as their first bout lived up to the expectations.

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