The former UFC featherweight champion is interested in revisiting some of his previous opponents.
Max Holloway has a few options to consider for his next Octagon appearance following his unanimous decision win over Yair Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 42 on Saturday night. ‘Blessed’ bested ‘El Pantera’ in a back-and-forth affair that showed why he is still the No. 1 contender in the featherweight division.
The win over Rodriguez put Holloway in prime position to challenge current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski for the title again, but ‘The Great’ is not the only previous opponent he would meet again. During his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Holloway also hinted at rematches against Charles Oliveira and Conor McGregor as next potential fights for him.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Holloway. “The UFC — there’s Hunter [Campbell], there’s Sean [Shelby] right there. That’s their damn jobs. I have a win over the 155-pound champion, we have Alex and stuff, I’m on the shortlist for Conor McGregor. Tell them to hit my line. We ready whenever.
“To be the best you gotta beat the best, and the best is ‘Blessed,’” continued Holloway. “They can come after me, baby. Let’s get it.”
Though Holloway did not specify who of those three he wanted to fight more, UFC president Dana White already had an idea on which option seems like the most probable right now. White told the assembled media during his post-fight scrum that a trilogy against Volkanovski sounds good because of how close the other two fights were. Holloway lost to Volkanovski in back-to-back outings at UFC 245 and UFC 251 respectively, but the decisions were considered controversial.
White also dismissed Holloway vs. McGregor 2 since McGregor is still recovering from the broken leg he suffered against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 this past July.
“Conor’s not even – Conor’s still hurt,” said White. “To even talk about Conor is silly.”
With Oliveira set to defend the lightweight championship against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 in December, all signs seem to point at Volkanovski vs. Holloway 3 sometime in the near future.