It’s fair to say that Max Holloway is everyone’s favourite fighter. If not at #1 then definitely within the top 3. The Hawaii native has been a stalwart on the UFC roster since 2012. At 32 an argument could be made that we’ve seen the best of Holloway already, or could ‘Blessed’ just be getting started?
Since his debut, Max has won 21 of his UFC bouts and has lost 7 times. He’s amassed a CV that contains UFC legends: Jose Aldo, Alexander Volkanovski, The Korean Zombie, Dustin Poirier & Frankie Edgar. Max won the featherweight title in 2017 and defended it 3 times before running into Volkanovski. He’s also set records for most strikes landed (3,441) & significant strikes landed (3,197). Let’s not forget the incredible Calvin Kattar performance where he set records for strikes in a single fight.
Max has seemingly done it all, now the challenge in front of him is Justin Gaethje. He’ll take on ‘The Highlight’ at UFC 300, up a weight class, and for the BMF title. So in this article, we’ll ask; Can Blessed become the baddest?
Max Holloway Builds His Legend
From the period of January 2014 to April 2019 Max Holloway was undefeated. Yes, undefeated. This grows even more impressive when you cite the names he beat along the way: Charles Oliveira, Jose Aldo, Cub Swanson, Anthony Pettis etc. 13 Fights, 13 wins. Simply Incredible, throw in an undisputed title in there and it’s the stuff hallf of fame careers are made of. This was all before Max turned 28 years old.
Standouts in this period were the wins against current hall of famer Jose Aldo. The recent episode of “Year of the Fighter” details this period in Max’s career. The young Hawaiian beat Anthony Pettis to secure Interim gold, then to unify against Aldo in Rio of all places. The result was conclusive for Max, a stoppage in round 3, shortly after he rematched Aldo where the result was equally dominant. This pair of wins catapulted Max in the pound-for-pound rankings, and many predicted a long reign at featherweight.
Max Holloway went on to defend the belt 2 more times. Max took Brian Ortega to boxing school in his second defence, forcing a doctor stoppage at the end of round 4. Followed by a decision win against Frankie Edgar. With a fight in between against Dustin Poirier (which we’ll revisit further on).
Between a Rock and an Australian
Max then encountered an Australian ex-rugby player who proved to be his equal over 2 fights at featherweight. The belt changed hands in 2019 when Volk won a unanimous decision, the pair rematched months later and Alexander to be given a split decision. The second fight being a classic “immovable object vs unstoppable force”, which to this day is a difficult fight to score.
Back to the drawing board, determined to get that fight back Max Holloway went on a wreckage mission to the next best in the division. Max destroyed Arnold Allen, in another viral highlight talking to the desk while dodging punches. Most impressive in that performance was that Max set the records for significant strikes landed (578) & significant strikes attempted (1027), which still stands.
Next up was Yair Rodriguez, in what was an excellent contest Max picked up the unanimous decision win by outstriking his opponent in total and significant strikes, Max was starting to become undeniable for a trilogy fight with Alex. Alexander Volkanovski himself picked up on this point in an interview with themaclife on YouTube, “The Great” said, “Get out of my division and stop beating my contenders.”
The third fight did happen and did not go Max’s way. He was outclassed by the Aussie. Alexander brought a gameplan that stifled and frustrated Max, in a championship performance that goes down as one of the greatest of all time. Similarly to how Max closed the book on Jose Aldo, Alexander Volkanovski had seemingly done the same.
Dejavu at 155 for Max Holloway?
We have been here before, Max Holloway fighting up at 155. Previously Max took a fight against Dustin Poirier for the Interim Lightweight Championship. ironically enough that fight was April 13th, UFC 300 is April 14th. The fight was fairly short notice for a lean Max to sufficiently bulk up for the contest, the fight was announced in February. The UFC 300 announcement was early on in January, however rumours had been afoot that Max was bulking up around December time.
The size was a big question against Poirier, as many analysts of the sport pointed towards Dustin’s power which ultimately was the difference. This time around Max has had time to bulk up and do sufficient work in order to be able to compete at 155. This is evident in recent social media posts from ‘Blessed’
All evidence points towards this being a different Max Holloway that we could see at UFC 300. He’s learned his lesson from the past in jumping into an opportunity. He’s also coming off a win where he took relatively little damage against The Korean Zombie last year. He seems focused, ready and prepared for what’s to come on April 14th. The other side of the coin is Justin Gaethje.
Blessed Highlights at UFC 300
What can we say about this fight other than a matchmaker’s dream. Justin Gaethje vs Max Holloway really is the stuff that MMA dreams are made of, throw in 5 rounds and a belt and it’s a buffet of violence. The pair are undoubtedly on route to the hall of fame. If not for their resumes then for their styles alone. Gaethje looks to take legs off with his kicks, Holloway throws more punches than can be counted. It’s got all the makings of a fight for the ages.
Who comes out on top? Tough to say, will it be power, determination & sheer violence or volume, accuracy and speed? All we can guarantee is that this fight cannot and will not disappoint.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
