Spectacular performance from Max Holloway tonight at UFC On FOX 15, completely outclassing Cub Swanson in the striking for the best part of three rounds before taking him to the mat for a guillotine choke submission finish with barely a minute of the fight remaining.
Fight Report:
The two circle each to start this featherweight bout. Holloway with a push kick attempt that doesn’t land. He does land a kick shortly aferwards though.
Holloway presses forward with a short flurry, but Swanson backs away. Body kick for Holloway. Holloway surges forward with strikes and Swanson almost catches him with a counter hook.
High kick from Holloway that’s blocked. Kick to the body from Holloway and Swanson responds with a combination of his own.
Swanson with a quick surge forward of his own and soon after he follows up with an eye-catching acrobatic kick attempt, but no real damage.
Holloway flies in with a knee and punches behind it that backs his opponent up. Swanson with a hard kick to the body. Three-piece combo from Holloway who’s definitely the busier of the two in this opening round.
Another three-piece from Holloway. Suddenly produces a spinning back kick ot the mid-section. Good sense of range from Holloway too and Swanson’s yet to find his own sense of distance in this fight.
Holloway with a head kick that almost gets through. Now to the body. Again Swanson comes up short with punches and Holloway lands punches instead. Holloway is really feeling this and he tries a big spinning kick, but overcooks it and loses his balance.
Swanson lands his best combination of punches just as the bell sounds. Not enough to take the round from Holloway though who’s started the quicker of the two.
Round Two:
Holloway with a high body kick. Swanson pressing forward aggressively, but still struggling to find a home for his punches.
Swanson almost ducks straight into a kick from Holloway. Holloway blasts to the body now. Very assured performance from him so far, but has to be careful of Swanson’s power.
Holloway moving well though to not give Swanson an easy target to aim at. Swanson with a few low kicks now. Swanson going for a couple of hooks now. little punchs series from Holloway as he keeps Swanson at bay, but his opponent is showing more forward pressure in this round.
Right over the top lands for Holloway. Now a quick flurry of half-power strikes. Varying things up nicely. Straight punches now.
Swanson with a single overloaded punch that misses. Tries a head kick too that doesn’t find the target. He’s making faces at Swanson now. It’s very rare to see someone outclass Swanson like this.
Swanson with a body kick. He’s trying to get more aggressive, but in the middle of the chaos Holloway nicely chooses to work to the body.
Holloway lands a good knee that Swanson had to have felt even if he’s trying not to show it. Holloway applying more offensive pressure as the round comes to an end.
Round Three:
Class act from Holloway through two rounds. Let’s see if Swanson has it in him to turn the tide. Kick to the knee from Swanson to start. Spinning back kick to the body from Holloway.
Into the clinch and Swanson lands the knee to the body then presses Holloway against the cage. Holloway breaks away with a hook. Lands a leg kick now. Swanson swinging, but missing as Holloway stays just out of range.
Head kick from Holloway is blocked. Acrobatic kick from Swanson doesn’t work out and he falls to the mat. Holloway not following him down though.
Holloway with shots to the body and a kick upstairs and Swanson is wobbled. Now Holloway is battling him on the mat, looking for a submission finish via an arm triangle. Looks like he had it for a moment, but he gives up on the attempt and soon after Swanson scrambles back to his feet.
Swanson with a solid body kick with two minutes remaining. Straight punches from Holloway and Swanson looks in trouble again. Suddenly Holloway locks in a guillotine while still standing and drops into full mount with it. Cranking on it hard and Swanson is doing his best to hang tough, but is grimacing in pain.
Holloway not giving up on this attempt and Swanson’s had enough, he taps out and ‘Blessed’ gets a third round submission finish to cap off a hugely impressive performance.
