Don’t Name It A Comeback
With UFC 307 within the rearview mirror all eyes are actually firmly set on the Etihad Enviornment in Abu Dhabi, the place former featherweight champion Max Holloway will try to win again the belt he held between 2017 and 2019 as he squares off towards Ilia Topuria within the UFC 308 primary occasion later this month.
After initially surrendering his title to Alexander Volkanovski in December of 2019 (and subsequently shedding twice extra to the Australian) “Blessed” trapped in featherweight limbo, taking out a succession of rising contenders comparable to Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez and Arnold Allen however with no actual likelihood of getting a fourth crack on the champion. Topuria’s beautiful victory over Volkanovski at UFC 298 modified all the things nonetheless, and when Holloway pulled off probably the most memorable moments in UFC historical past by knocking out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, the celebrities aligned completely for the pair to fulfill when the UFC lands within the center east on Oct. 26.
Returning To Featherweight
On condition that Holloway made the transfer as much as 155 lbs. for his BMF title struggle with Gaethje in April, questions have been raised about his skill to make 145 lbs. once more. Talking on his YouTube channel this week, the previous champion assured followers that he received’t have any issues in that regard:
“I imply, everyone retains speaking concerning the weight right here coming into this struggle” mentioned Holloway. “The entire thing, the entire query concerning the final struggle was the load, and now the entire query about this struggle is the load due to what we did within the final struggle (transferring as much as light-weight). It’s what it’s. I received the very best particular person behind me…I received my spouse, she’s cheffing it up, and like I mentioned, I received my man Tyler Minton (Holloway’s nutritionist) again on the workforce, he’s gonna be on the market with us on struggle week and he’s probably the greatest guys within the biz. However I’ve by no means missed weight…I’ve by no means missed weight in my complete profession and I ain’t planning on beginning to miss weight for this struggle”.
Holloway Guarantees Fireworks
Though he’s simply 32 years outdated, Holloway has been preventing contained in the Octagon since 2012 and after falling brief in his final three featherweight title fights, loads of followers might be forgiven for believing that the Hawaiian was maybe getting into the twilight of his spectacular profession. Holloway maintained his perception that he may get again to the highest of the division, nonetheless, and promised the followers that they’re in for a deal with at UFC 308.
“It took an entire lot of labor to get again right here” he mentioned. “I imply, I’ve been saying it over and again and again how individuals mentioned that I shouldn’t be right here, I ought to have did one thing else, I ought to deal with one thing else, I’m completed, I’m previous what I can do on this sport. Then once more, we’re right here, we’re preventing for a world title towards this new technology they’re speaking about so I’m excited. I get the thrill, I do know why you guys are excited. The cardboard is loopy, our struggle (mine and Ilia’s) is among the most anticipated fights of the yr and all I can say is tune in, reside on pay-per-view, Oct. 26.
“You guys are gonna be in for a deal with, it’s gonna be a enjoyable struggle, and I can’t wait man, I can’t wait to indicate what we’ve been working. As a result of lots of people are MMA specialists and there’s been loads of discuss so I can’t wait to go on the market and present you guys what we’ve been doing”.
