Max Holloway: Once more into the fray
Having grown up before our eyes, Max Holloway seems like he’s forty years old. But the fact is clear: “Blessed” is 32 years old. He joined the UFC at just 18 years of age. Going from an up and comer, to the Blessed era, to a fighter who may be past his prime, Holloway will take on Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 this weekend.
Holloway will wade once more into the fray this weekend, this time the old dog being taken out to the pasture. Instead he will look to show the wolf within, not the old frayed dog that is ready to go. Will he beat Topuria? Or is his time one that’s past?
The legend: Max Holloway
In an era where the UFC doesn’t have many stars, the reputation of Max Holloway precedes him. A fan favorite and newly crowned BMF champion, the “Blessed Express” has had its ups and downs, but filled with gladiatorial glory.
Alex Pereira, Jose Aldo, Jon Jones, Ian Garry, the UFC doesn’t have many needle-movers outside of these types of names. Holloway is in that class. When he is introduced by Bruce Buffer, the crowd always loses their minds. He is a fan favorite with many, many fan favorite moments.
From dethroning Jose Aldo in an impressive fashion to the iconic Ricardo Lamas throw down moment, Holloway’s highlight reel was already great before being among the UFC’s more legacied fighters. But he kept going.
He was scheduled to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov on short notice at UFC 223. He showed Brian Ortega how to box mid fight. I can go on and on. “I’m the best boxer in the UFC, baby!” and his knockout of Korean Zombie, Holloway has not stopped being great.
And then we had UFC 300…
The king making moment
Of all his great moments, perhaps the biggest moment of Max Holloway’s career came on the biggest stage of his life, UFC 300. He took on one of the heaviest hitters in the lightweight division, a weight class up from his 145 pound class. After four and three quarters of winning a fight, Max Holloway did the unthinkable.
Max Holloway pointed to the ground and gave Justin Gaethje an opportunity to win the fight despite being down. The two slugged it out in the last ten seconds, a shade of his fight with Ricardo Lamas. Except this time, Holloway connected and slumped Justin Gaethje.
This will go down as the moment of Holloway’s career. Decades from now, it will lead his highlight reel as debates about the biggest knockouts of his career.
Now he will take on Ilia Topuria, and knowing Max Holloway, we will probably have another fantastic moment in his career. He could become champion again. He may not, Topuria is a monster after all. Regardless of what happens, the legacy of Max Holloway is already among the best in the sport of mixed martial arts.
He will wade once more into the fray at UFC 308. Will the old dog be put down or will he take home another kill?
