On a night of mesmerising action at UFC 199 in Inglewood, Max Holloway and his opponent Ricardo Lamas were quite rightly praised for abandoning all plans to defend and throwing down in the closing seconds of their featherweight contest.
Across the Californian state, boxer Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido did it from the opening bell. For 12 rounds.
WBC super featherweight titleholder Vargas and former champion Salido delivered what was promised in HBO's main event last night, with a gruelling, 12-round slugfest fit to light up any arena.
After a Ward-Gatti-esque barn-burner, the judges scored the contest a majority draw which, to the minds of many, was a perfect result - a rarity considering the contentious nature of most stalemates in the sport.
Watch highlights as @Elbandido130 and @Siri_Salido battle to a majority draw. #VargasSalidohttps://t.co/d8ac1X7zWb
— HBOboxing (@HBOboxing) June 5, 2016
Vargas had Salido in hell in round 6, but the thug life in Salido just wouldn't let him fold. #VargasvsSalido
— Raging Babe (@RagingBabe) June 5, 2016
Top 3 fight this year any order: Vargas-Salido, Conlan-Nelson, Kalenga-Dorticos
— Rian Scalia (@RianScalia) June 5, 2016
Are these guys human? Vargas and Salido are going to WAR!!! you gotta love the Stub Hub Center. There's something about the air.
— Bible of Boxing (@ringmagazine) June 5, 2016
I know last night was a big UFC night. But you owe it to yourself to watch the Salido-Vargas fight from last night. Incredible war. On HBO.
— Ty Lorts (@tylorts) June 5, 2016
Vargas (23-0-2, 17 KO) and Salido (43-13-4, 30 KO) both naturally feel as though they won the fight, and a rematch will likely take place before long. When it's scheduled, mark it in your calendars. This is a blend of personalities and styles which simply guarantees non-stop action.
For those of you who without access to HBO, you can catch this phone-booth war for the ages in its entirety below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=IUHx5apoVpc
