Athletes
Max Holloway Journey Back To The Title
Nearly Five Years After Losing The Featherweight Title, Max Holloway Made Himself Undeniable And Is Now In Position To Get His Belt Back At UFC 308
It’s been quite the journey for Max Holloway since he lost his belt to Alexander Volkanovski in December 2019. To that point, Holloway had garnered enough accolades and put on enough stellar performances to have his name tossed around in “greatest featherweight of all-time” discussions. Still just 28 years old at the time, Holloway had bested José Aldo twice, finished an undefeated challenger in Brian Ortega and taken out former champions Anthony Pettis and Frankie Edgar while amassing a 13-fight winning streak.
When he lost the belt to Volkanovski, he had done enough to earn an immediate rematch, a fight he eventually lost via split decision that many still argue about to this day. He dropped “The Great” twice, but the Australian did enough in the subsequent three rounds to get the nod on two of the three scorecards. Holloway was suddenly in limbo, and he it was time to compete in non-title fights for the first time since 2016.
It's wild to consider the fact that some wondered whether Holloway had what it took to thwart the oncoming challengers hoping to earn their shot through him. First came Calvin Kattar, had won four of his last five fights and was keen to throw himself into the title picture. What happened is well-known: a five-round, record-breaking masterclass in pace, pressure and volume. Holloway set all-time numbers for strikes landed and attempted, one of which was of the no-look variety after yelling, “I’m the best boxer in UFC, baby!”
Order UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway
The performance was a loud declaration that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but instead of waiting for another shot at the belt, he welcomed another keen and dynamically dangerous contender in Yair Rodriguez.
Inside the UFC APEX, Holloway and Rodriguez went strike-for-strike in the first couple rounds, with Rodriguez throwing heavy and nasty kicks to Holloway’s legs while Holloway looked to melt Rodriguez with his usual pressure, plus some wrestling, as well. The grappling came in handy in the latter half of the fight as Holloway maintained control to stymie Rodriguez’s offense, completing a career-best three takedowns in a single fight and showing a growing depth in his skillset.
Max Holloway Relives His Iconic BMF Moments
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Max Holloway Relives His Iconic BMF Moments
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Two wins and two Fight of the Night bonuses brought him back to Volkanovski, who himself had vanquished Brian Ortega and The Korean Zombie since their rematch. It was for naught, however, as Volkanovski came out in perhaps the best form of his career, dominating Holloway for 25 minutes and earning the clean-sweep decision on all three scorecards.
A third loss to the same man might discourage most fighters, but “Blessed” seemed to move on without a hitch. It was back down the rankings for his next fight, a main event against Arnold Allen in April 2023, who, at that point, had not lost in the Octagon. Holloway adopted the motto, “still here,” in the lead-up to the fight, once again hoping to remind people he was very much one of the best featherweights in the world.
UFC 308 Embedded | MMA Coaches Break Down Holloway vs Topuria This Saturday
While it wasn’t the dominant effort like he had against Kattar, Holloway was rather mindful in his approach with Allen. He managed distance, increased his volume as the fight grew and essentially smothered any offense Allen hoped to muster. When Allen charged forward in the fifth round, Holloway happily obliged, scoring a quick knockdown as the final seconds ticked away. The bout was Holloway’s first headliner in the United States since he beat José Aldo a second time in Detroit, and as the Hawaiian flags flew in Kansas City, Holloway proved he was very much still in the mix and had both feet in on another run at the title.
Four months later, while Volkanovski took a detour to lightweight before besting Yair Rodriguez in another featherweight title defense, Holloway flew to Singapore to take on The Korean Zombie. Emotions flowed heavily that night and in the days leading up to the bout as Holloway expressed his concern for the destructive fire that hit the island of Maui that week. UFC allowed Holloway to walk out with the Hawaii state flag, and he delivered another epic performance. After a couple rounds on the front foot, Holloway had to weather the storm of the oncoming Zombie to open the third round. As Korea’s greatest mixed martial artist called him on, Holloway planted an overhand right on his opponent’s forehead, tallying his first finish since December 2018. The fight would end up being The Korean Zombie’s final bout.
Although some wondered if Holloway would fight Ilia Topuria, who had just earned a dominant decision win in a five-round affair with Josh Emmett, the Spanish-based Georgian took Volkanovski’s tongue-in-cheek advice and waited for his title shot. Meanwhile, Volkanovski took a short-notice rematch against Makhachev, who proceeded to knock out the Australian with a head kick. As the featherweight title picture looked murky, Holloway decided to take a fight against the dynamite-laden Justin Gaethje for the BMF title.
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The fight posed plenty of risk for both men. Topuria would go on to unseat Volkanovski in epic fashion, and most felt like Holloway could jump straight into a title fight with Topuria as Volkanovski recovered. Instead, Holloway danced with arguably the most violent man in the sport and subsequently delivered the last-second knockout heard around the world at UFC 300.
Five years, seven fights and two title shots later, Holloway has a chance to break through once again. Mixed martial arts is rarely a sport where the convenient narrative wins out, and so it makes all the sense in the world that even the most highly respected fighters have a roundabout path to two-time champion status. That isn’t to say the result at UFC 308 is close to predictable. Some tout Topuria as the future of the division, a man with high-level skill and threats in every area of the sport. But, as Holloway would likely say, it is what it is, and on October 26, we get to find out if the Hawaiian’s odyssey is complete.
UFC 308: Topuria vs Holloway took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on October 26, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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