UFC 194 saw Max Holloway continue to cruise and add names to his resume. The Hawaiian kicked off Saturday’s main card with a solid, albeit quiet, win over tricky veteran Jeremy Stephens.
If you’ve ever seen Stephens fight before, you can imagine how he approached Holloway. Stephens quickly got to work as the aggressor in the first round, throwing wild leg kicks and looking for an opening for his devastating overhand right. Holloway was able to escape danger each and every time, peppering him at range and expertly escaping his clinch attack with impressive consistency. That, for the most part, would be the story of the fight.
The second round saw Holloway open up more with his arsenal of strikes. Stephens continued pressing forward, but Holloway made the most of the opportunities Stephens gave him. Between rounds, Stephens’ corner implored him to raise his output and go for the finish. Alas, that would not come to pass.
Near the start of the final frame, Holloway landed a nice trip and got Stephens to the ground. Holloway would advance to mount and back mount, threatening a variety of submissions, but he wasn’t able to lock anything up. Stephens exploded back to his feet and managed to get right back to pressing forward but landing virtually nothing.
When the scorecards were read, Holloway got the unanimous nod to the tune of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
Holloway gets the decision win. Couldn’t understand most of his post fight speech though…fast talking isn’t my strong suit #ufc194
— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) December 13, 2015
After a rocky 3-3 to his career, Holloway broke off a stellar four-fight winning streak in 2014, with each win coming via stoppage. In 2015, though, he cemented his place as a Top 10 name by dominating former contender and at-the-time Top Five fighter Cub Swanson. Now, it’s getting harder and harder to ignore Holloway’s place in the featherweight title picture.
Here are some notes and thoughts from this fight:
- Holloway continues to improve by the fight. That’s darn awesome since he’s already entrenched in the Top 10.
- To his credit, he called out both Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo when he got his hands on the microphone. That’s a smart move, given how Frankie Edgar was poised to eclipse him with his knockout of Chad Mendes on Friday.
- Stephens (29) is really starting to show his age at this point. He remains a solid fighter at 145 pounds, but when you look at the Stephens who destroyed Rony Jason, he definitely seems to have lost some momentum.
- While it would be nice to see Holloway get a title shot, it’s almost certainly not going to happen anytime soon. If McGregor wins, he will probably have to face Aldo again in a rematch. If Aldo wins, the UFC will likely go with Edgar in the rematch, given Holloway’s lack of name value.
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