Height/Weight/Division:
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) / 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) / Featherweight
Networth:
$2 million
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlessedMMA
IG: https://www.instagram.com/blessedmma/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/maxhollowayofficial
Owner of the highest striking output in UFC history, Max Holloway just does not stop throwing punches. Holloway is known as one of the best featherweights of all time, and he is still young and about to reach his prime years. Holloway is currently the #1 featherweight in the world, with his last loss coming against the champion.
Holloway started competing in the MMA at a young age, he had a tough childhood where his family was a victim of substance abuse but that gave Holloway the drive to become one of the best fighters in the world.
UFC Debut
In just his 5th MMA fight, he already was signed with the UFC at just 21 years old. His first fight was against Dustin Poirier where he lost via submission. Poirier at that time was already a top prospect and had enough experience to compete at the highest level. It was a learning process for Holloway.
He then went on a 3-fight win streak, beating Pat Schilling, Justin Lawrence, and Leonard Garcia before losing to Dennis Bermudez. Holloway looked great in his fights but just lacked the experience, his fundamentals are great and that there was no question that he was gonna improve as time goes on.
McGregor vs Holloway
Everyone was aware of how massive of a star McGregor was on his featherweight run, even at his debut, fans were chanting for McGregor. Going to the fight, there was a huge hype within McGregor. Holloway may have lost but it is the only decision win for McGregor’s legendary featherweight run.
After suffering back-to-back losses, Holloway went on his long win streak. He was willing to fight anyone in order to climb the rankings.
Legendary Title Run
He went on to win on a 9 fight win streak beating some of the toughest featherweights like Andre Fili, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, and Jeremy Stephens. What made Holoway hard to beat was his constant striking and an endless gas tank that the fighter has no choice but to go down or cover up from the striking.
He also likes to put on a show, like his fight against Ricardo Lamas, where he was clearly winning the fight but at the last seconds, he pointed to the ground and went to brawl with Lamas, risking the fight itself. It was risky, but Holloway was there to put on a great show for the fans.
His next fight was for the interim featherweight belt against Anthony Pettis. Although Pettis did not make weight, Holloway was eligible to be the champion if he beats Pettis. Holloway managed to stop Pettis with an endless barrage of punches and body kicks at the last second of the third round.
Holloway vs Aldo
Holloway was set to unify the belt against Jose Aldo, and at that time many were overlooking Holloway to beat Aldo since Aldo has been the champion for so long and only has one loss in the past 10 years. He was also coming off a dominant win against Frankie Edgar.
In the early rounds, it was even but Aldo managed to land stronger punches compared to Holloway’s but the number of strikes that Holloway lands are just massive. He just does not stop or let his opponents rest.
In the later rounds, Aldo’s gas tank was almost empty but Holloway was still fresh and throwing a high output. It was a matter of time that Aldo got caught with a combo that knocked him down. Holloway then went on to finish Aldo in the third round.
For his first defense, he was set to face Frankie Edgar but Edgar got injured and had no choice but to pull out. Jose Aldo stepped in on short notice which is a title fight rematch.
The rematch ending was almost the same as their first encounter, both fighters adjusted a bit with their tendencies but Holloway just proved that it is his time to reign over the division. The fight ended with Holloway knocking down Aldo and going for the finish.
Both showed tremendous respect after the fight and Holloway even said that Aldo is one of the fighters he looked up to during his rise.
Holloway volunteered to step in on short notice to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the vacant lightweight belt. It showed how much of a warrior Holloway is but unfortunately, he couldn’t make weight on fight night.
Holloway vs Ortega
There were also health issues that put Holloway on rest for a period of time. He was set to face Frankie Edgar but withdrew due to health issues. Ortega managed to win the interim title against Edgar and was set to unify against Holloway.
Ortega was also a young prospect but was undefeated in his MMA run. He was the favorite going to the fight. The fight is marketed as the Fight of the future because both are in their prime and fight for the title.
The fight was a one-sided beatdown, with Holloway landing a high record of significant strikes landed. Ortega had moments as well but it was overshadowed by Holloway’s astonishing performance. Due to the beatdown, the doctor stopped the fight in order to protect Ortega from suffering more damages.
Holloway vs Poirier 2
Holloway was presented with an opportunity to fight for the interim lightweight belt against Dustin Poirier. It is also a chance to avenge his past loss. In the early rounds, Poirier manage to hard punches that stunned Holloway. Although Holloway had his moments as well, it was Poirier who was the better fighter that night.
His next fight was against Frankie Edgar who was scheduled more than once but never happened due to injuries. Now, the stage is set for them to face, and Holloway was too long for Edgar and had no answer.
Holloway vs Volkanovski rivalry
He was then ready to fight before the year ends and it was against a rising contender, Alexander Volkanovski who was coming off wins against Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. Both had a technical fight, but Volkanovski’s leg kick may have won him a close decision win.
Holloway asked for an immediate rematch and was set to face UFC 251. The fight was much closer compared to the first fight, with Holloway clearly winning the first two and Volkanovski getting better at the last two. The third round was a toss-up and could have gone either way. Two judges gave it to Volkanovski winning via split decision.
It was a tough loss for Holloway since he lost the belt but he showed tremendous class and sportsmanship.
Holloway vs Kattar
With coming back-to-back losses, it might be demoralizing for other fighters but not Holloway. His fight against Kattar broke most striking records like most strikes landed, head strikes, and even body strikes. It was one of Holloway’s best performances, and he just showed that he is still improving despite being a former champion.
Holloway is expected to face Yair Rodriguez next. Even though he was already the front-runner for the next title shot, Holloway wanted to stay active.
