In the very first event of 2021, Calvin Kattar and Max Holloway put on a fight of the year candidate. The two featherweights went the distance in a lopsided unanimous decision that Max won 50-43 on two and 50-42 on one scorecard. 

This is only the second time in the history of the UFC that a fighter has secured a 50-42 in a five-round fight. The first one being Rich Franklin’s win over David Loiseau. Holloway’s domination was a testament to his inclusion in the GOAT conversation at featherweight. 

Following his dominating display, fans will wonder what’s next for ‘Blessed’.

Read: Dana White says Max Holloway vs Alexander Volkanovski trilogy is inevitable 

A title shot has to be next for Max Holloway!

Going into the fight, Max was on a two-fight skid. Both losses were against Champion Alexander Volkanovski, albeit the second loss was highly controversial. ‘Blessed’ has never lost three fights in a row in the UFC, and he maintained that against Kattar. 

‘The Boston Finisher’ came into the bout on a two-fight win streak. The clash would have been an excellent opportunity to prove himself and take the next step in his career. 

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However, Max put on a record-breaking display at UFC Fight Night and set UFC records for significant strikes landed, significant strike attempts, total strikes attempted among others. 

In most cases, when a challenger is 0-2 against the champion, a third match is close to impossible to secure. However, Max is not just any other fighter and his performance on Saturday proved just that. 

Therefore, it is only right that he fights the winner of Ortega vs Volkanovski. Dana White stated that a title shot is definitely next for Max and undeniable. 

Although, it would not be surprising to see Max jump up a weight class. At the post-fight press conference, he said he would be willing to step in, in case the UFC 257 main event fell through for some reason. He has previously fought once at lightweight against Poirier for the interim title.

The lightweight division is on fire right now. The addition of Max Holloway would be even more exciting as there are many good fights there for him. However, it would be hard to imagine him moving to lightweight right away. The common consensus is that ‘Blessed’ will challenge for the title once more before moving up.

Who do you think Max should fight next? Let us know in the comments below!