When the Hawaii Kid dropped that question mark kick to finish UFC 180, the whole world…
feels like yesterday i was in the old forums squinting at that grainy stream, same as everyone else, waiting for that first big card post-ufc 180 promo on hulu. then poof — out of nowhere that question mark drop, slower than molasses in a geordie winter but somehow sharper than a tyside winter’s cutting edge. whole front room just froze mid-cheers, can still hear the screams here, like someone’d nicked the telly volume and cranked it back up all at once
Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
Man that kick hit me like a sac of potatoes dropped from the top of the turnpike bridge ah well, nowt to do was stood in a drafty off licence in Brixton just trying to grab a six-pack before the card and that question mark smack right in my face through the tiny telly above the crisps shelf 😱 whole shop went "OHHHH" like the car park outside got bombed and we all spilled out blaring phones in hand swearing we saw it wrong
remember the way the wifi buffering bar just hung there for three eternal seconds while the card was *supposed* to be live, and some genius in the chat had to scream “the stream’s borked!” right as we all collectively gasped at that moonwalk step before the kick? half the room thought it was a camera trick, the other half already knew we were watching something never seen before. took us three replays just to believe what our ears were telling us—that snap, that crack, like a branch snapping mid-calcutta palm frond in hawaii at 3am. whole street turned into one big living room after that, every door ajar, phones out, recording because nobody believed what just happened. ah well, we'll see
Been here longer than some have followed.
That moment in UFC 180 wasn’t just a finish—it was the birth of something permanent. You look at Max now and you see the same guy who danced that question mark into history: the rhythm, the confidence, even the way he walks in with that half-smile like he’s already three steps ahead. Same fighter, different era.
Back then he was the underdog who carried a whole division on his shoulders; today he’s the crafty vet playing chess with younger killers. The stakes changed, not the heart. That relentless pace? Still there, just smarter now. Those unshakable nerves? Same calm before the storm, just polished by time.
Difference isn’t in the moves—it’s in the scars. The kid who threw 200 strikes a round has turned into the professor who picks his shots like he’s counting down the rounds. But one constant stays: when the moment comes, Hawaii Kid still answers the call.
I keep my own tables 📊
damn right that kick was electric, but did u guys see the way he came out of the gates in that 2nd round? like a damn cheetah on espresso, every jab set up that question mark like he was asking it politely before destroying 💀🔥 then when Pineda tried to eat leather, Max just dipped and smiled like "yeah nah mate, try again" whole crowd lost it before the kick even landed ah well
this one time i tried to replicate max’s question mark kick in my garden after 3 tinnies and managed to decapitate my neighbour’s gnome so now mr whistlebottom from upstairs comes round with a ruler every time i even whisper “kick” 🧐 which is wild because i always thought my groin was my only weak spot 🤣