Nicknamed “Blessed”, Max Holloway was the former undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion. Although his physical appearance may not necessarily bespeak it, Holloway has lived up to the hype in the MMA world and has nevertheless caused a stir in the UFC.
After an initially shaky UFC debut, he managed to achieve a 13-win streak in the octagon as well as in the featherweight division between 2013 and 2019.
His ability to incorporate a wide array of flying and spinning kicks, knees and elbows into his striking game makes Max a flashy and exciting fighter to watch. Stay riveted as we countdown Max Holloway’s Top 5 MMA Finishes (in descending order)!
- Vs. Akira Corassani — UFC Fight Night 53 (Oct. 4, 2014)
- Vs. Cub Swanson — UFC on Fox 15 (April 18, 2015)
- Vs. Anthony Pettis — UFC 206 (Dec. 10, 2016)
- Vs. José Aldo 1 — UFC 212 (June 3, 2017)
- Vs. José Aldo 2 — UFC 218 (Dec. 2, 2017)
Max Holloway entered the octagon with a three win-streak and looked for the chance to improve his 4-0 record since his loss against Conor McGregor.
The bout took place mainly in stand-up mode with boxing blows. In the middle of the first-round, Holloway counter-attacked Corassani with a left hook and a right hand which dropped the Swede.
Akira tried to recover with an emphasis in the clinch with a body lock, but Holloway was able to escape. He then landed some knees and dropped Corassani with a left hook and a right hand again, to finally secure the win with several punches on the ground, obliging the referee to stop the contest. ‘Blessed’ also earned his first Performance of the Night bonus.
With a 5-win streak since August 2013, Max Holloway faced the biggest challenge of his UFC career when he met Cub Swanson in the octagon.
After outstriking Swanson through the first two rounds, Holloway finished the fight with a mounted guillotine in the third round. The win also earned Holloway his second Performance of the Night bonus award.
By now, with a 9-win streak, Holloway finally had his first shot in the UFC with the interim Featherweight Championship on the line.
He faced the former undisputed Lightweight Champion, Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, for the opportunity to challenge José Aldo Jr for the undisputed title.
Only Max was eligible for the belt, because Pettis was outside the championship weight limit of 145 pounds. ‘Showtime’ was also fined 20% of his purse, which went to Holloway and the bout proceeded at a catchweight.
As the fight progressed, Holloway was consistently able to outpoint his opponent with accurate counters that continued to mount damage upon Pettis’ face. Shortly after scoring a takedown toward the end of the third round, Holloway decided to allow Pettis to stand up and landed a straight right kick to the body that sent him to the cage.
From there Holloway unleashed a barrage of uppercuts on Pettis that eventually drew the finish.
It also gained Max his third Performance of the Night bonus.
Max Holloway faced the undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo at UFC 212, where he took on the ‘King of Rio’ in his own backyard.
Holding an interim title at the time, Holloway faced some early adversity where he lost the first two rounds. Nevertheless, the Hawaiian took Aldo out in the third round, unifying the featherweight titles in a “Fight of the Night” effort.
Holloway was expected to face Frankie Edgar in the main event of UFC 218. However, on November 8, 2017, Edgar was pulled from the card due to an injury and was replaced by José Aldo, who gained an immediate rematch after a callout on social media to avenge his loss earlier in 2017.
The fight played out in a similar way to the first fight, with each athlete making just slight adjustments.
The fight was relatively close in the first half but Holloway was again able to turn up the heat to gain the upper hand in the second half. Holloway won the fight via TKO in the third round to defend his belt for the first time.
