Issue 139
March 2016
Max Holloway put UFC featherweights on notice last year, so watch your backs, Conor and Frankie – you’ve been warned!
Outside of MMA’s champion athletes, few fighters can claim to have had years as prosperous as Max Holloway in 2015. The Hawaiian fought four times last year and won every single time he stepped into the Octagon. By dispatching three top-10 featherweights and extending his UFC winning streak to eight straight, ‘Blessed’ rocketed up to fourth spot in the featherweight rankings and earned a nomination for the ‘Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Fighter of the Year’ prize at the Eighth Annual World MMA Awards. As he begins a potentially career-defining year, Fighters Only caught up with the 24-year-old to discover what’s driving him towards a date with champion Conor McGregor and the sport’s ultimate prize in 2016.
You have one of the most exciting styles in the sport. Where does that mindset and skill set originate?
It’s no secret what I like to do in the cage. I like to strike and I don’t like to worry about takedowns too much. When I get an opponent that has the same mindset and skill set it’s going to be an exciting night. I like to stand toe-to-toe with my opponent. The plan is always to go out there and give the fans what they want to see. I like to go out there and put on crazy kickboxing wars in the Octagon.
If you could book any fight in 2016, what would it be?
Holloway vs. McGregor 2 at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. We’d sell that thing out! I’m the one guy that actually gave him a fight, remember. And if Conor moves up, Edgar vs. Holloway, UFC Hawaii. We can get one back for BJ Penn. Whatever happens, whatever Dana White and them want, I’m ready. I’ve been winning. Me and Conor lead the division in wins right now, so why not? If he leaves, then I’m good with Frankie.
Do you believe you can take Conor out next time?
They got this guy going around with the belt and no one can handle his left hand. But if you watch our fight, one guy fell down and his name wasn’t Max Holloway, so I’ll leave it there.
You’re the only opponent to take McGregor the distance. What makes him so special?
It’s the way he promotes himself. I guess it would be his mouth that makes him special. A lot of people hate on him for talking his way into a title shot. He promotes himself very well. You can’t hate on the man. If it was that easy to do that everybody would be doing it. It’s hard. More power to him. It’s great to see that much hype being brought to the division. You can’t be complaining about that.
What do you hope to achieve in your career?
In the UFC, you can be here one day and gone the next, that’s just how it is. So you’ve got to stay focused, and grounded. Some people get caught up in their own hype, and I don’t want to be one of those guys. It is hard, but I know what I want to do, and when my career’s done, I want to be remembered as one of the greatest of all-time. I can sit back and enjoy all my success when I’m done fighting and talking to my grandkids or my kids. Then I can appreciate it. Right now, there’s no time for appreciating anything. You’ve got to go out there and put in hard work.
What’s been driving your recent success?
Fear of failure. Fear of being cut. There was that one point where I came off back-to-back losses, and then I was fighting a UFC novice (Will Chope). Usually, when you’re fighting a newcomer and you’re coming off of two losses, you lose and you get your papers. That feeling haunts me and I don’t ever want to feel that again. So I use it as motivation to keep me grounded and keep me focused. Anything can happen. So I focus on now and take one step at a time and cover all my bases.
You’ve talked about suffering from nerves before a fight. How do you manage those emotions?
Yeah it’s a nervousness where, I’m sure you played sports and stuff coming up and got nervous before the event. It’s your body getting ready and showing you that you are ready for this. It’s hard to explain but it’s a nervousness I get when I know I’m ready. I know what I did to get ready for this fight. And at that point I just know I have to go out there and execute. It’s not a bad nervousness – it’s a great kind of nervousness. It’s not like I’m breaking down. It’s my body letting me know I’m alive and ready for this.
If you could choose one fight from your career that every fan should see, which fight would you choose?
That’s tough but I think it would have to be the Akira Corassani fight from UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story. I took that fight on late notice. We had to go travel to his home country in Sweden and it was a big deal as we were the co-main event that night. I went out there and got a fast finish and a bonus, too. To get a knockout over a guy in his own backyard was amazing.
Your win over Jeremy Stephens in December was outstanding, did you go out there to prove a point?
Now I am where I am, I’ve got to try to make a statement and try to stick out. That fight was right in the middle of a huge fight week, so I had to really state my case for a future title shot. I had to make a point, and I believe I did that.
Who are the people that most inspire you to become champion the most?
It has to be my wife and my baby boy. I just gotta go out there and support them. The man above, God himself, too. He gives you this talent and you have to go out there and show the world what you are blessed with. I am blessed with fighting skills so I have to go out there and show the world, you know? It’s for my wife and for my son. I have to provide for them. I have this platform to do that. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning, someone else trying to take food off my table or money out of my wallet.
Fast food fanboy
You love your junk food and have tweeted about joining “Team Fatboy.” Does it suck for you to cut down to 145lb?
I’ve had no problem actually cutting weight to this point but it sucks watching everyone else eat great food. I wish I could eat ice cream. I wish I could eat cheeseburgers and fries and have my body perform at the highest level. This is the career I chose. I have to sacrifice for a few months but after the fight I have a few weeks to go crazy before your next fight. I love retweeting all the pictures of great food. It’s a mental thing. I like to imagine I’m eating it so I don’t go out there and actually do it!
Pacesetter: Fists of fury at 145lb
Holloway isn’t kidding around when he says he likes to put on crazy striking wars, and he’s got the stats to prove it. According to Fightmetric, he lands an incredible 5.49 strikes per minute. That’s the ninth-highest rate in the entire UFC, and the second-most in the 145lb division. Who’s the leader you ask? None other than the current champion and the last man to defeat the kid from Wai’anae: that man McGregor, who hits an average of 5.53 every 60 seconds. It’s a minuscule gap, and one Holloway is confident he can overcome in a match against ‘The Notorious’ when he finally gets his shot at the belt.
