Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight champion Max Holloway is already creating a pretty good legacy in his young mixed martial arts (MMA) career, as the 26-year old is currently riding a 12 fight win streak, defeated longtime 145-pound champion Jose Aldo in back-to-back fights to win and defend the strap, and hasn’t tasted defeat in four years.
As “Blessed” as he is, the Hawaiian-born fighter isn’t content, as he wants to keep adding to his resume by taking out the best-of-the-best.
“It’s a legacy thing and when it’s all said and done, I want to leave a legacy in whatever way,” Holloway said in a conversation with Yahoo! Sports. “If not, if it’s helping the division, if it’s fighting big names, I just want to be remembered as one of the greatest all-time to ever do this in the sport. That’s just what I want to do. I sacrifice a lot of time away from my family, away from my son and I just want to make them proud, make my family proud and my fans crowd and, you know, leave a legacy,” he added.
To prove he won’t back down from a challenge and is determined to live by what he preaches, Holloway stepped and face Khabib Nurmaogmedov on short notice a few months ago at UFC 223, even though the fight was scratched last minute.
Now, Max is ready to keep adding to his championship run as he attempts to defend his title against up-and-coming contender Brian Ortega at this weekend’s (Sat., July 7, 2018) UFC 226 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And while the Heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier is leading the way and has major historical implications, Max says his fight is just as big.
“You want to be a part of the big card,” Holloway said. “You want to be part of history. We got a match in the main event going for history. One of them trying to be the longest reigning defending heavyweight champion and one of them trying to hold two belts at the same time,” he added.
“And then, you have a big super fight. I’m not talking about the main event. I’m talking about the co-main event, too. It means a lot to me to be able to have this spot on this card. This is like the Super Bowl of the UFC, a blockbuster, a big blockbuster hit that comes out in the summer, this is it,” he concluded.
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