From the way things looked on Thursday afternoon, Max Holloway is ready for the big time.
The 23-year-old Hawaiian featherweight joined his fellow main card fighters, including upcoming opponent Cub Swanson, for media day at the Best Buy Theater in New York City and did his best to steal the show.
While Swanson’s suit game was definitely on point as he answered inquiries from the reporters in attendance, directly across the room, Holloway answered the challenge in his own way. The surging young talent was equally decked out to the nines as he held court in the lead-up to the highly anticipated featherweight tilt on Saturday.
“It’s nice to dress up sometimes, and when they tell me put on a suit, I think of prom,” Holloway told Bleacher Report with a laugh. “I have a couple of suits now and that’s a great feeling. I love buying suits. It makes me feel successful and when you look good you play good. You have to look good for the camera first then you go in there and put on a great fight.”
His upcoming bout at UFC on Fox 15 will be the biggest of his young career, and “Blessed” is treating it as such.
Holloway knows he will be stepping into the Octagon with a fighter widely recognized to be one of the best in the 145-pound fold, and this will provide him with a tremendous opportunity to elevate his status in the featherweight division.
He also understands competing on Fox will represent the highest amount of visibility he’s ever garnered during his time in MMA, and he’s determined to make the most of it.
Those efforts were on display on Thursday afternoon in NYC, and Holloway’s energy and spirits were high as he talked about his upcoming battle with “Killer Cub.”
“I was really excited to get the fight with Cub [Swanson],” Holloway said. “Dana White always says, ‘You only make this money once.’ I want to make this money once and as much as I can while I’m doing it. I think it’s great fighting a guy like Cub because his style and my style put together is meant to be an awesome fight. We are going to throw down in there and neither of us will complain walking out with an extra 50K on fight night. It will be an awesome night.
“When I’m in there throwing spinning attacks and crazy things, that’s how you know I’m having fun. That’s what this sport is all about. This fight with Cub is huge for me. It’s a blessing because I think he and I are going to get comfortable in there really fast. The fans are going to see some amazing striking techniques in there.”
The bout with Swanson will represent Holloway’s opportunity to break out of the prospect role and enter the race for title contention in the 145-pound ranks, which is the goal he has been striving for since joining the UFC in 2010.
He’s won all but three of his 11 showings inside the Octagon during that stretch and is currently in the midst of a five-fight winning streak that has come over tough competition.
With his confidence at an all-time high and a solid amount of momentum at his back, Holloway firmly believes he’s ready for the best fights the UFC has to offer. He wants to be one of the promotion’s showcase fighters and believes defeating Swanson is the key to making that happen.
“I’m at that point in my career where I will take a fight with anyone at any place at any time,” Holloway said. “For real. I want to get up there at Cowboy [Donald Cerrone] status where I’m making $100,000 a fight just in the front to show up. I want to get there and how you do that is show the UFC you want to fight. I love these fast turnarounds, man. Sometimes you can get layoffs for several months and it’s hard to stay focused that way. Kicking right back to high gear is great and I love that feeling.
“I want those big fights. People always bring up that my only losses are to top-10 guys. If I can pull off a win here, I’m hoping to get rematches with the guys I lost to or other guys higher in the division. I want to prove to everyone Max Holloway is here to stay and I’m one of the elites.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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