Former UFC Lightweight Champion Max Holloway currently stands in a tight spot. ‘Blessed’ wants to reign on the featherweight throne once again; however, it seems impossible for him to oust the current featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. This dire situation has been tempting Holloway to move up to lightweight, as the new division can offer him some exciting fights. Moving up to lightweight is not new to the American fighter as he has already fought at lightweight against Dustin Poirier for the interim title in 2019. Holloway fought against ‘The Great’ three times, and in all three bouts, he lost. However, Holloway is not ready to give up on his desire to win another title at featherweight.
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Recently, Holloway made it clear that he might move up when the situation turns more favorable. However, at this point, his aim remains the same: to win the featherweight belt once again. The Hawaiian fighter currently has a record of 24 victories and 7 losses. After losing against Volkanovski, ‘Blessed’ was able to achieve a decision victory against Arnold Allen at the Kansas City. This strengthened the speculation of Holloway moving up, as the chances of interesting matches are low for ‘Blessed’ at featherweight.
UFC does not want Max Holloway to move up
Recently, Holloway was having a conversation with MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani. When asked about his plans to become a lightweight, following the steps of Volkanovski, the 31-year-old said, “I think if UFC really wanted it at ‘55, they would’ve pushed the issue. They really didn’t, so at the end of the day, we’re here“
He further added, “It’s always good to go up a weight class with a belt, so that’s the plan. And if they thought so — that maybe we couldn’t do a fourth [fight] with Volk — I think they would’ve really pressed the issue on us and told us, ‘Look, you’ve got to go.’ But we’re here, they’re feeding me contenders. So at the end of the day, we’re going to just keep knocking them down.”
From the words of Holloway, it is clear that the UFC boss, Dana White, does not want him to move up to lightweight at this point in time.
‘Blessed’ waiting for the bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez
Even though Holloway wants to stay in the featherweight division, he is not ruling out the possibility of moving up. He added that he might consider moving up when White shows the green signal. In the interview, ‘Blessed’ further mentioned that he is looking forward to learning the outcome of the bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290. The bout against the Interim champion, Yair, would be the fifth featherweight title defense for Volkanovski.
Do you think that Max Holloway can win back the featherweight title? Do let us know in the comments below.
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