Max Holloway has had a weekend to remember following the events of UFC 300. Capping off the night with a career highlight performance, which grabbed the attention of every news outlet, Holloway made history on the biggest night in combat sports history. With that, the future holds all kinds of options for him, which he must carefully navigate.
For those unaware ‘Blessed’ took on Justin Gaethje to contend for the latter’s BMF title at UFC 300. Since he was moving up a weight class and taking on one of the most violent and hard-hitting lightweights, it was clear that many weren’t favoring Holloway coming into the matchup, and for good reason. After all, Gaethje was also coming off the back of a head-kick KO win against Dustin Poirier and was arguably next in line for a title shot.
However, on the night, Max Holloway who had taken a lot of time to properly transition into a lightweight, put on an absolute masterclass, finishing it off with a buzzer-beating KO at the end. Not only did he knock Justin Gaethje out, but he slumped him after a wild exchange in the final seconds after inviting him to the center of the Octagon. Naturally, it was hard to argue for any other moment to have been more special on the night.
Max Holloway is now ranked #9 at lightweight
Following the fight, UFC President Dana White declared that Max Holloway was going home with two $300,000 bonuses. Seeing the kind of performance he had put on, it was hard to argue otherwise. With that said, what we have seen on Tuesday morning may have been quite puzzling for many. Ahead of the fight, Holloway reiterated to make a run at the lightweight title and thus, following the win, he entered the rankings at #9.
Naturally, there was a lot of confusion as to how Max beat the #2 contender and is now at #9. With that said, he still holds his #2 ranking at featherweight as well. Either way, as fans see it, Holloway can and should be in line for the lightweight title shot, after Islam Makhachev faces Dustin Poirier and Arman Tsarukyan of course. In the meantime, Max also has the opportunity to go back down to 145 lbs to challenge Ilia Topuria.
The BADDEST of the night 💰💰💰@Justin_Gaethje & @BlessedMMA take home the #UFC300 FOTN!
[ B2YB @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/BjFCUSl1fn
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
One of the very few fighters throughout UFC history to be simultaneously ranked in two divisions, the 32-year-old has endless possibilities with what he wants to do next. However, at the same time, he must be patient and choose carefully, lest he squander whatever greatness he can accomplish, seeing that he is only now coming into his prime.
Max Holloway needs to steer clear of an immediate Ilia Topuria matchup
For the most part, Max Holloway now holds a lot of power over what matchup he wants next. With a plethora of very profitable options on deck, it will be interesting to see how and what he picks. However, upon landing back in Hawaii after a successful conquest, Holloway shared with Rob DeMello what he would prefer for his next fight.
“It’d be hard not to say, with it finally getting announced that he’s actually fighting, Conor [McGregor] 2 to run it back. That’s the hugest fight.”
Max Holloway says if he could fight anyone next, he’d pick Conor McGregor. He also says that Ilia Topuria is most likely his next opponent 👀
“It’d be hard not to say, with it finally getting announced that he’s actually fighting, Conor [McGregor] 2 to run it back. That’s the… pic.twitter.com/Csb1MrtkZn
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 16, 2024
Seeing that Conor, during his extended absence, stated that he is open to running it back with Max on numerous occasions, a fight between the two is something that can be worked on. During Holloway’s war against Yair Rodriguez in 2021, McGregor made headlines for pretending to have a staredown with the Hawaiian.
“Ideal world, you’re trying to get back to an undisputed title, gotta go with (Ilia) Topuria you know. Me and him are having a little bit of a Bible verse beef on Twitter right now, so we’ll see, life’s good.”
It’s all love champ. I’ll be seeing you soon. Jeremiah 51:20 https://t.co/D6i8Ph7SQ5
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) April 15, 2024
All things considered, Holloway believes that a fight against Ilia would be next. However, many would suggest that he utilize his move to lightweight before going back down to 145 lbs. With Ilia Topuria set to fight later this year likely rematch Alexander Volkanovski, it gives Max the time to get a couple of fights at lightweight and stake his claim against Islam Makhachev first.
With Conor McGregor and even Charles Oliveira rematches now possible, it would be wise for Max Holloway to exercise his options and in the meantime figure out and devise a way to definitively take out the indomitable young Spaniard. Seeing that he has the time and position to let things play out, Holloway has all that he needs to make a sound decision.
