It seemed only months ago when Max Holloway’s MMA career appeared to be over. Suffering from ‘concussion-like symptoms’ Holloway had to pull out of his UFC 226 title fight with Brian Ortega. After that, we didn’t know if Max would ever fight again.
In a surprise, the UFC announced that Holloway would return at UFC 231 to finally fight with Ortega. Many doubted if Holloway would ever be the same again. In fact, Holloway closed as betting underdog to Ortega despite being the champion and despite having a 12-fight winning streak going for him. On the other hand, the UFC toasted Ortega, called him a future champion and gave him enough media coverage to make him look legit. Enter fight night.
Max Holloway dominated Brian Ortega from start to finish. The champion decimated his challenger by landing 290 significant strikes, including 244 head shots which left Ortega in a mask of blood by the third round. Not only did Holloway outclass Ortega on the feet, the Hawaiian stuffed nine of his takedown attempts and almost immediately got up after T-City’s two successful attempts to put him on the canvass. The result? A one sided TKO at the end of round four with Ortega unable to continue with a busted eye.
With the victory, Holloway now has won 13 fights in a row, a record in the 145 pound division. The victory has also opened the door for bigger fights ahead, including several outside his weight class.
Let’s take a look at Max Holloway’s options after UFC 231:
If we take a look at the UFC featherweight rankings, Holloway has beaten the top two contenders in Aldo and Ortega plus the 6th and 7th ranked fighters in Jeremy Stephens and Cub Swanson. 3rd ranked Frankie Edgar is coming off a win over Swanson but was knocked out by Ortega prior to the win. 4th ranked Renato Moicano is also coming off a win over Swanson but was likewise submitted by Ortega in 2017. 5th ranked Chad Mendes is 2-3 in his last five bouts with losses to Aldo, Conor McGregor and Edgar.
So you see, there isn’t a salivating matchup for Holloway right now in his own weight class. Although you can make a case for Edgar, Moicano and Mendes, they also may not be available right now. Edgar pulled out of his UFC Fight Night 139 bout with the Korean Zombie with a torn bicep while Moicano also pulled out of his UFC 231 bout with #8 Mirsad Bektic with an undisclosed injury while Mendes is slated to fight #10 Alexander Volkanovski on December 29th. If Mendes wins, he may have the best claim for a title shot but even then, that won’t match the appetite for a super fight with former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.
Shortly after beating up Ortega last weekend, Ferguson took to Twitter to challenge Holloway. Ferguson is coming off an 11th straight victory after a TKO win over former lightweight king Anthony Pettis at the co-main event of UFC 229. With the win, Ferguson is the rightful challenger to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s lightweight belt. However, with Nurmagomedov’s fate still up in the air pending his possible suspension in the aftermath of the infamous UFC 229 brawl, that fight may be put on hold, yet for another time. Ferguson and Khabib have been booked to fight each other four times in the past but one had to pull out each time due to injury, causing White to say he’ll never book that fight again. That’s another story though.
As for Holloway, Max has never been shy about fighting at lightweight. Remember that he offered to step in for Ferguson against Khabib at UFC 223. However, he wasn’t allowed to proceed with the weight cut and that bout was scrapped. Fighting Ferguson would pit two of the longest winning streaks in the UFC today. Holloway has won 13 in a row while Ferguson has racked up 11 straight wins. A showdown between these two exciting fighters and elite strikers, whether or not it is for the lightweight title (if vacated), would be a dream come true for UFC fans. Even UFC President Dana White said he’d love that.
After the callout from Tony Ferguson, Max Holloway got another message from a top lightweight. In fact, it wasn’t just a top 155 pound fighter. It was the UFC’s top cash cow Conor McGregor. After Holloway trashed Ortega, people started talking about Holloway being the GOAT of the featherweight division by virtue of his two dominant wins over Jose Aldo who was previously the universally recognized GOAT at the weight class. McGregor was quick to remind the world, and Holloway of course, that he is should be the greatest because he beat both Aldo and Holloway.
We all remember Conor’s 13 second destruction of Aldo, which is now part of UFC folklore. Well, before McGregor rose to prominence, the Notorious One defeated Max Holloway in 2013 via unanimous decision. That win put McGregor in main event status beginning his next fight. For Holloway, that stands as the last loss of his UFC career. Since the McGregor debacle, Holloway has won thirteen straight bouts including ten via stoppage in what is the longest winning streak in featherweight history. Fighting McGregor may mean the most money for Holloway and it is also the one that gives him most motive because of the revenge factor. However, McGregor is rumored to be fighting Dustin Poirier a second time. At least that’s what Dana White said at the TUF 28 Finale post-fight show so Conor may be out of the Max equation, for now.
But if Holloway is moving up in weight, then why not just go for all the marbles and challenge the man who has the gold? After all, Holloway almost had a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 so we’re sure, he won’t duck the Russian Combat Sambo World champion if the fight is offered to him. When Holloway was asked at the UFC 231 post fight press conference about the possibility of fighting Nurmagomedov, he said that it might be the fight that will excite him the most.
Nurmagomedov would perhaps post the toughest challenge for Holloway because of his grappling and perceived advantage in size but when you put the two side by side, Fightmetric stats say that Holloway is an inch taller and Nurmagomedov only one inch rangier. Holloway also has an 83% takedown defense and considering how he defended Ortega’ s own takedowns and avoided getting in trouble against a jiu jitsu protege, I think Holloway gives Khabib a good fight because he has better better takedown defense than McGregor (70%) and is more equipped on the ground than the Irishman. Whether Max wins the fight though is an entirely different story. But heck, it would be another great super fight worth watching.
Max Holloway’s win over Brian Ortega has opened up a world of possibilities for him. That spectacular performance has surely increased his stock and put the world at the palm of his hands. Holloway’s options look limitless right now as he can look beyond his division to make fights. Easily, the best fights out there are in the next higher weight class. The UFC’s lightweight division isn’t just talent-laden. Its is also superstar rich.
For now, let Max bask in the glory of his victory as it wasn’t just a win over a top contender, it was also a victory over adversity. 2018 began terribly for Max Holloway as he had three fights cancelled because of his medical issue. Whatever was wrong with Max Holloway isn’t still certain right now. However, we know that a healthy Max Holloway is the best at featherweight and will be a beast even at lightweight.
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