Max Holloway could join the UFC Hall of Fame before his career is over.
Last month, the UFC’s BMF Champion became the first fighter to defend the ‘Baddest Motherf—–‘ belt when he retired Dustin Poirier in a five-round war at UFC 318.
Holloway defeated his longtime rival by unanimous decision in New Orleans, reinserting himself into the lightweight title conversation. But, before he did, Holloway gave Poirier the chance to knock him out, pointing down to the ground in the final 10 seconds to wave him on.
Poirier ultimately opted out of the striking exchange by clinching with Holloway, not wanting to ‘go out’ like Justin Gaethje did when he entertained the point-down at UFC 300 the previous year.
Holloway has surely capitalized on his BMF moments, making the logo of his personal brand a hand with a finger pointing down.
As you may recall, Holloway’s first point-down didn’t occur against Gaethje, but instead Ricardo Lamas, years ago in the featherweight division.
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Ricardo Lamas wants UFC 199 fight with Max Holloway in Hall of Fame because of ‘point-down’
Holloway fought former title challenger Lamas across three rounds at UFC 199 in 2016 in Inglewood, California.
Lamas was down on the judges’ scorecards in the final round of the bout. When the clapper went off to signify there were 10 seconds left on the clock, Holloway stood in the middle of the Octagon and pointed to the canvas.
Lamas accepted Holloway’s challenge and threw down with the fighting Hawaiian, trading strikes until the bell sounded. Holloway ultimately got the unanimous decision over Lamas in a hard-fought victory.
Reflecting on the Holloway scrap almost a decade later, Lamas says it should be inducted into the fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
“I did not,” Lamas told Bloody Elbow, when asked if he thought Holloway’s point-down would get as big as it is today.
“When me and how we were fighting, that was the first time he did it in any fight,” Lamas explained.
“You can ask him too. I kind of, like, coaxed it out of him in that third round. I knew I was down on the scorecards going into the third, so I’m just like, God, this third round, I wasn’t really hit with any shots that rocked me or anything,” Lamas said.
“So I’m like, last chance I have is maybe pull, drag him into a firefight and try and connect with something big… Then, the 10 second clapper went off, and then you see him point to the ground, and then I finally go. I’m like, yes, you know, let’s go.
“It was great,” Lamas said of Holloway’s point-down against him.
“It was something that you can’t pull off without both of those fighters. I’m still waiting for my 10% commission off that,” Lamas joked.
“Because Max, he did a great job of marketing that and just taking it and running with it and like, continuing to do it in the rest of his fights. It paid off. UFC 300, you couldn’t have asked for a better main event for the BMF title to end that way, and then him scoring the knockout literally in the last second of the fight.
The former title challenger continued.
“It wouldn’t have been there without the fight with me and him. So, I think UFC needs to put that one in the Hall of Fame,” Lamas suggested.
Where is Ricardo Lamas now?
Lamas, a 17-fight UFC veteran, retired from MMA at the age of 38.
Lamas ended his fighting career with a win, defeating Bill Algeo by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 8 in August 2020.
While he’s retired from competition, the 43-year-old Lamas told Bloody Elbow he’s busier than ever running his own UFC gym in Naperville, Illinois, coaching the next generation of fighters.
“As a competitor, you’re kind of solely focused on yourself,” Lamas said.
“It’s kind of a very one-sided situation. You’re focused on your own training, on what you need to do to get better.
“Being a coach is kind of the opposite. You have to be kind of selfless. And now you’re just working on your fighters and improving them. It’s all about the fighter and not about you anymore.
“Making that mindset shift kind of comes into play,” Lamas said of how he transitioned from a UFC fighter to a coach.