Ricardo Lamas recalls notorious showdown with Max Holloway: 'As soon as he pointed, I knew he was down'
There’s been plenty of memorable moments in MMA over the last few years, but few have remained as popular as the notorious showdown between Ricardo Lamas and Max Holloway.
It’s been almost four years since Lamas (19-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) fought Holloway at UFC 199 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Yet, still till this day, the video of the wild, non-stop, 10-second exchange keeps circulating the web.
Holloway pointed down to the ground, Lamas nodded in approval, defense was thrown out the window, and the punches began to fly. It was a sight to see, one the “just bleed” guy would be proud of.
“We were kind of challenging each other,” Lamas told MMA Junkie. “I knew he was ahead on the scorecards, and if you re-watch that third round, I was going like this (Lamas motions towards himself), telling him to bring it. Finally, in the last 10 seconds, he obliged, pointed to the ground, and we started throwing down.
“I knew I was down on the scorecards, so I was trying to make something happen, trying to make it scrappy, and thats what came out in the end so that was pretty cool.”
Jun 4, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ricardo Lamas (blue) fights Max Holloway (red) during UFC 199 at The Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The crazy exchange felt like a natural component to the fight. It didn’t feel like a forced attempt to give the fans something exciting to watch. There was no verbal agreement for a showdown. Lamas knew exactly what was going on the moment the Hawaiian point the the canvas.
“If you listen to his post-fight speech, he was telling Joe Rogan that I was telepathically telling him that I wanted to throw down,” Lamas said. “That was just from me waving him on for a good three minutes before that. As soon as he pointed, I knew he was down, and this was what I had been waiting for. So that’s when we just stood there and started throwing at each other.”
Fans make sure to remind Lamas of the thrilling exchange almost on a daily basis. And despite losing the decision to Holloway, who later went on to become champion, Lamas looks fondly at that moment.
“Almost every day, if not five times a week, somebody will tag me on the video on Instagram and it constantly goes around,” Lamas said. “I look at the views it gets and I’m like, ‘Wow, geez.’ So it’s cool to be a part of it.
“That fight was actually a lot of fun; I had a lot of fun in that fight. Max Holloway is a great guy, a great champion, and he was the ideal opponent – someone that doesn’t back down, someone that’s there right in your face and likes to fight. “That’s that Hawaiian culture that’s in him. And me with my Mexican culture came out. Mexicans love to fight too, so I think those last 10 seconds you just saw the clash of that. It was fun to be a part of and it’s really cool that a lot of people enjoyed it still to this day.”
To hear the full interview with Lamas, check out the video below.