What’s Next for “Blessed”?

Written by Garey Symington

If you’re a fight fan, you’re probably a fan of Max “Blessed” Holloway. Known for his toughness and pinpoint striking accuracy in the cage, Holloway’s resume is a true who’s who of the UFC Featherweight division over the past decade. He’s known to be a good sport, a hell of a skateboarder and deservedly took home the Forrest Griffin Community Award for serving as a positive role model in the MMA community and his hometown of Waianae, HI.

So, what’s next?

First, probably some rest. Holloway, the top contender in the UFC Featherweight division, ground out a brutal and bloody 5 round unanimous decision victory over #3 Yair Rodriguez at the UFC Apex on November 13^th. Incredible grit was on display from both men with the damage to show for it, meaning a Khamzat Chimaev-style turnaround is likely out of the question. Let’s look to 2022.

In watching the post-fight press conference, it seemed that UFC President, Dana White, has his eyes on a trilogy fight between Holloway and current Featherweight champion, Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski. Dana likes to play his cards close to the chest (at the poker table and the podium) but this seems to be the logical next step for the Featherweight division considering #2 Brian “T-City” Ortega had his chance to oust the Aussie in September on the TUF 29 finale card.

There would be plenty at stake as Holloway looks to reclaim UFC gold and avoid giving up the three-fight sweep to Volk. Adding to the pomp and circumstance would be the unofficial crowning of the greatest Featherweight of all time, for which both these athletes are in the conversation. Max holds the Featherweight records for most wins with 18, most TKO/KO’s with 8, and most stoppages with 10. He also holds the 1^st, 2^nd and 5^th ranked significant strike totals for any fight in UFC history. 

Hall of famer? For sure. Best Featherweight of all time? Remains to be seen for the 29-year-old veteran, but many say he’s already there, and it’s hard to argue with his results.

After the Yair fight, Holloway seemed intent on pursuing options for a rematch with The Notorious Conor McGregor, stating that he’s, “on a short list,” to fight the Irish cash cow and global face of the promotion. In addition to a major pay day, a fight with Conor would be a chance to avenge Holloway’s 2013 decision loss to the Dubliner, who shares Max’s penchant for the standup game and unorthodox striking methods. Coincidentally, both fighters had a record of 22-6 prior to Holloway pulling ahead with Saturday’s decision victory.

There are some questions surrounding the viability of Holloway vs McGregor 2, however. First, Conor’s getting older, and 145 was a tough weight cut for him even in his younger days. Adding to that, he seems to be bulking up according to his social media, and has even called out Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. Conor calls everyone out though, so take that with a grain of salt, but cutting down to 145 could be a tough go. Holloway also seems to have found his niche, appearing a bit leaner in the cage in recent fights compared to his earlier days, which makes me think a trip up to 155 wouldn’t be advisable for him.

In addition to finding the appropriate weight for this bout, we have to remember that Conor is coming back from a broken leg, and everyone wants to book a McGregor fight. There’s been Twitter correspondence between Iron Michael Chandler and McGregor, who are both Lightweights, that may spoil Holloway’s chance at revenge. That said, Conor has a level of respect for Holloway that he seldom shows towards other fighters, which could play to the Hawaiian’s advantage.

While these are two of the more likely next steps in the record setting career of Max Holloway, you never know what’s going to happen in the fight game until the cage door shuts. Might Max step into the Youtuber boxing arena to collect a check? Crazier things have happened, and after all he’s the self-proclaimed “best boxer in the UFC, baby!”. Holloway takes the “anyone, anywhere, anytime” mentality of a natural born fighter one step further with his slogan “everyone, everywhere, every time.” He could have sat around and waited for his title shot, but chose to step in with a dangerous fighter in Yair. With that type of mentality, no one is safe, and whether it’s Conor McGregor, Alex Volkanovski, Jake Paul or Dana White himself who’s next – fans are in for a high-volume exhibition of striking and grit next time Blessed blesses our TVs on a Saturday night. To quote Max,

“To be the best, you gotta beat the best, and the best is Blessed!”