Max Holloway will be defending his BMF title for the first time against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318, but guess what? He may have his next opponent in line. Fellow lightweight fighter and veteran of the division, Michael Johnson, who scored a unanimous decision win at the pay-per-view in New Orleans, mentioned after the fight that he’s got Holloway in his sights next.

Michael Johnson made history at UFC 318. Well, he didn’t win any titles, but the veteran created a record for the most knockdowns in the lightweight division. Johnson is now tied with Melvin Guillard at 13 knockdowns. But that’s not what ‘The Menace’ is concerned about, as he claims to want a piece of the BMF champion, Max Holloway.

Michael Johnson has nothing but respect for Max Holloway. Well, the Hawaiian native has earned the respect of his peers with impressive and explosive performances inside the Octagon, and it appears that’s the reason why Johnson wants to fight him. In fact, ‘The Menace’ showed a lot of interest in fighting for the coveted BMF championship, and add his name to the list of holders of that title.

“I said I want to get in by the end of the year. Hopefully soon. I’ve been throwing around the idea of me and Max Holloway…. He’s one of the best fighters in the UFC that ever came across the division,” Michael Johnson stated in his post-fight interview. “If he retains the BMF belt, you know, that’ll be a fun five-round fight for me and him to do.”

Well, Max Holloway is looking to get into the title picture, as the fighter who handed him his first KO loss, Ilia Topuria, is the champion. But while Michael Johnson has expressed an interest in wanting to fight the BMF champion, UFC commentator Jon Anik has a different idea in mind. Here’s what he had to say.

Jon Anik suggests Max Holloway takes on Charles Oliveira next

In a recent interview, Max Holloway mentioned that he’s not fond of the statements and excuses Charles Oliveira made about his loss to ‘Blessed’ when they fought a few years ago. He hinted that a rematch could take place in the future, and this had Jon Anik excited. He claims that witnessing Holloway fight with his BMF belt on the line is not something that he entertains, but is game for ‘Blessed’ to fight another top contender, Oliveira, claiming that he should aim to be the lightweight champion.

“I don’t really have a huge appetite to see him defend the BMF title again, were he to successfully defend it here against Dustin Poirier,” Jon Anik stated in an interview with ‘Odds Shark’. “I think he should be chasing the undisputed lightweight title. Of course, we’ll see what happens with Ilia Topuria. But if you were to match Max Holloway up with Ilia again at ’55, or to match him up with someone like Arman Tsarukyan, or to do a rematch with Charles Oliveira.”

But it looks like Holloway wants neither Johnson, nor Oliveira. After winning his five-round war against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318, ‘Blessed’ made an appeal to Dana White, to book him against divisional champion Ilia Topuria next. Whether the head honcho will oblige him remains to be seen. What do you think? Do you want to see that fight?