After authoring a career-defining moment at 155 pounds, Max Holloway is confident he can return to the featherweight division without issue.
After knocking out Justin Gaethje to claim the BMF belt in a lightweight bout at UFC 300, Holloway will challenge Ilia Topuria for the featherweight strap in the UFC 308 headliner on Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Hawaiian star addressed concerns that he might struggle to make the cut to 145 pounds in a recent video on his YouTube channel.
“Everybody keeps talking about the weight coming into this fight. The whole question about the last fight was the weight, and now the whole question about this fight is the weight because of what we did in the last fight,” Holloway said. “But it is what it is. I got the best person behind me. I got my wife, she’s chefing it up, and I got my man Tyler Minton back on the team. He’s going to be out there with us fight week, and he’s one of the best guys in the biz.
UFC 308: Topuria vs. Holloway Saturday at 2 PM ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
“I’ve never missed weight. I’ve never missed no weight in my whole career, and I ain’t planning on starting to miss weight for this fight because this fight, it took a whole lot of work to get back here. I’ve been saying it over and over again how people said that I shouldn’t be here, that I should have done something else, I should focus on something else, I’m done, I’m past what I can do in this sport. But then again, we’re here, and we’re fighting for a world title against this new generation that they’re talking about. So I’m excited.”
UFC 300 was only Holloway’s second venture to 155 pounds over the course of a promotional tenure that began in 2012. Prior to facing Gaethje, the former featherweight champion had earned victories over Chan Sung Jung and Arnold Allen at 145 pounds. Holloway went 0-3 in championship bouts against former title holder Alexander Volkanovski, but when Topuria claimed the throne at UFC 298, it opened the door for “Blessed” to get another opportunity at UFC gold.
“Mine and Ilia’s fight is one of the most anticipated fights of the year. All I can say is tune in…You’re gonna be in for a treat,” he said. “It’s gonna be a fun fight. I can’t wait to show what we’ve been working. A lot of people are MMA experts and they’re saying a lot of talk. I can’t wait to go out there and show you guys what we’ve been doing.”
