What The Data Tells Us About Max Holloway’s Win Over Justin Gaethje

Hi everyone, welcome to the Strike Savvy YouTube Channel. The goal of this YouTube channel is to analyze fights, fighters and other stuff in MMA through the visualization of data.

I’d like to say first that this video is in no way meant to bash or discredit a particular fighter that was mentioned in this video. Even though I present a lot of statistics in this video to prove my point, the final conclusion is still my own opinion. This video was created out of love for the sport. Comment your opinions below but please be respectful when sharing them.

Post-intro music by Amar! Check him out:
IG – https://www.instagram.com/rememberreach/
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/rmbrreach

Logo and Banner by Milton! Check him out:
IG – https://www.instagram.com/xyzelephant

Why Max Holloway’s Strike Record Won’t Be Broken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QafdUevI_Fw

Sources: www.ufcstats.com and rewatching fights on www.ufcfightpass.com

Fair Use Notice:
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All rights belong to their respective owners. If you believe any content in the video violates your IP, send me an email. Email found in the ‘About’ section of the channel.*

UFC 300 just wrapped up and boy did it
deliver an absolute spectacle of a night
that saw all types of crazy finishes and
fights that had us all longing for more
from Alex pereira’s intelligent knockout
of Jamal Hill a moment that proved me
and many other analysts wrong to the
gritty performance of Jang way Lee that
opened up a few chinks in the armor for
the champion however despite all the
crazy fights that happened in this one
card one fight stood out well above the
others a fight between two well-known
Titans throwing it all on the line for
this what is this what is the BMF title
to the critical eye it may just seem
like something the UFC made up so they
could sell more pay-per-views for Islam
makev the BMF title is just for bums but
the BMF title serves a purpose Beyond
just mere marketing it’s a celebration
of the fighters who embody the essence
of toughness resilience and a
willingness to engage in fun and
thrilling battles and at UFC 300 Max
Holloway and Justin gagei did just that
they left it all in the Octagon in a
fight that saw both Fighters get hurt
bad at some points Holloway getting
knocked down for the first time in his
career although not statistically and to
top it all off we got one of the
greatest knockouts in UFC history
so let’s talk about it in this video
we’re going to break down the stats and
fight between Max Holloway and Justin
gagei and find out what
happened rather than waiting out his
well-deserved Undisputed title shot at
155 lb Justin gagei chose to be true to
the BMF title and accepted a fight
against a former featherweight champion
in Max Holloway but unlike the wars he’s
been in for the past few years that saw
him knock out multiple Fighters and some
of the most violent way as possible in
this fight he faced quite a challenge
Justin gagei was fighting a lot
differently than in previous fights but
not in the typical sense let me explain
while his strike distribution for his
fight against Max appeared typical of a
gagei fight with a significant emphasis
on head strikes and effective leg kicks
his head strike accuracy was notably
lower than previous fights landing at a
36% rate to the head rather than his
typical 50% a 14 percentage Point drop
marking this Knight as his least
accurate when it comes to head strikes
in his entire career in the
UFC but it wasn’t just gai’s accuracy
that suffered in this fight his strike
output was also notably lower than what
fans come to expect from him in fact
this fight marked the lowest strikes
landed per minute in any of his fights
in UFC history the man renowned for his
five round cardio and unyielding
resilience found himself unable to
summon that same ferocity against Max
Holloway but why the answer lies in a
single moment that would come to define
the trajectory of the entire fight a
moment that unfolded at the end of the
first round Max’s spinning back kick a
technique often used to create distance
in his fights capitalized on a subtle
but critical flaw in gai’s approach gaii
has a habit of of Dipping or rolling his
head whenever he tries to go in for a
blitz that leaves him vulnerable to
uppercuts or knees at first this kick
seemed to just land to Gage’s chest
which although hurts a lot would have
been something gayi would recover from
in the break between rounds but this
kick wasn’t just some ordinary
significant strike to the body this kick
actually connected to Gage’s head first
because of his role and in turn
shattered his
nose so with four rounds to go and at
the break of the first round gaii had
two options option one Justin gagei
tries to blow his nose clear out his
nostrils risk a fate like cowboy against
Tony Ferguson and the fight is ruled to
TKO or option two endure the discomfort
of breathing through the mouth opting
for a slower paced but resilient
approach to the fight and for the sake
and pleasure of the fight fans the BMF
incumbent chose the latter refusing to
let this adversity dictate the course of
his Destiny you have to be in awe of
Justin Gage’s heart but unfortunately it
did come with its own set of
consequences because not only did Justin
gagei endure his worst offensive
performance in his UFC career but
defensively he faltered as well only
Landing second to his fight against
Charles Olivera continuously eating
clean uppercuts counter shots and even
at one point looked like Calvin Kar
against Max
Holloway okay we get it Gage’s nose was
broken by some free kick by Max which
didn’t allow him to go all in with his
savagery or even be the most defensively
sound but is it really safe to say that
this was the whole reason why he was
losing because although gaii seemed off
Max Holloway was having an amazing
performance at UFC 300 unlike his fights
before that average to your typical UF
UFC boxer in this fight Max Holloway was
keeping Justin gagei guessing by using
all parts of his body to tango looking
at his strike distribution for his fight
against gaii we see a very different Max
hallway an adapted Max that took a much
more balanced approach not only did we
see his crosses to the head and body but
most surprisingly is that we saw him
capitalize on some of Gage’s weaknesses
by using his uppercuts and spinning
kicks his unique addition of the leg
kick to maintain his distance also
contributed to Gage’s slow strike output
yet Perhaps more impressive than his
varied style was Holloway’s strike
accuracy Landing his strikes at a
whopping 58% efficiency it was one of
the most accurate performances we’ve
ever seen him in only falling short to a
few notable fights and some others near
the start of his
career however this offensive prowess
came at a cost as Holloway also endorsed
one of his worst defensive performances
to date despite Holloway’s offensive
Onslaught on gai he still remained quite
a challenge Landing strikes more
efficiently than many of Max Holloway’s
previous opponents a testament to Gage’s
skill and resilience especially in the
face of adversity as the fifth round of
the epic battle between Max Holloway and
Justin gagei Drew to a close Holloway
found himself clearly ahead on the scor
cards yet rather than coing to Victory
he chose to risk it all by engaging toet
to Toe with one of the most dangerous
Strikers in the UFC which ultimately
culminated in one of the greatest
knockouts of all time defeating not just
one of the most feared men in the
lightweight division but also defeating
this notion that he once had pillow
hands however nothing can compare Max
Holloway’s 10-second risk at the end of
the fifth to the whole 3mon risk that
Justin gatei took when he first accepted
this fight you have to feel bad for the
guy he’s long awaited to become
Undisputed champion and took this BMF
title fight with no real benefit to him
and at 35 years old his chances are
starting to crawl away from him rest up
Justin gagei and know that many of us
are still rooting for you to come back
and challenge for that title and as for
Max hallway welcome to the new world of
possibilities if you want to know more
about Max holay and his significant
strike record there will be a link in
the description or something should pop
up
now if you like the content feel free to
subscribe like or share the video and
leave a comment down below for
discussion and please be respectful in
the comment section thanks everyone and
I’ll see you in the next one
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