Max Holloway Bashes Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. Does He Have A Point?

Madness is consuming the featherweight division.

So, it seems as if the fighters at featherweight are more than a bit disgruntled. After it was announced that Conor McGregor would be fighting Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, it seemed like every fighter in the featherweight division decided to lose it. Jose Aldo decided he’d rather retire then play the UFC’s money grab game and it seems that Max Holloway refuses to be outdone. Usually a more reserved and tactful individual who does his talking in the cage, Holloway has gone on a verbal tirade denouncing both Aldo and McGregor in the process.

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Madness is consuming the featherweight division.

“The whole thing with Aldo, and everybody thinking he’s the best for 10 years, that he’s unbeaten and the untouchable champ, and all that,” Holloway said. “Then the whole thing with Conor thing came out, and he got knocked out, and everybody getting pissed off why he didn’t get a rematch after 13 seconds. These guys need to educate themselves in damn mixed martial arts. How many times has Aldo pulled out of a main event? Not counting the Conor time, how many times before that has Aldo pulled out of a fight? It’s happened a bunch of times.”

Granted injuries are an unforeseen part of the game, Holloway does have a bit of a point where pulling out of fights is concerned. There are so many fighters who fight injured and by sitting out on fights it gives the appearance as if Aldo was trying to play it safe and hold onto his belt as long as possible, even if that isn’t actually the case. The fact of the matter is that Aldo has beaten some of the best of the best out there and for Holloway to disrespect him is a bit much. Holloway may be doing all this to get Aldo in the mindset of fighting the young up and comer, but for now we’ll have to see how that plays out.

But Max Holloway also had some choice words for featherweight champion Conor McGregor as well.

“There’s only two guys in our division that Conor beat that’s still ranked, myself and Aldo,” he said. “Who the hell else did he beat? I don’t even know who he beat. I only know the two ranked guys were me and Aldo. I don’t take that away from Conor, that he beat Chad Mendes on short notice. Chad took that fight knowing he had a chance to beat Conor, so that’s Chad’s fault he took that fight. My last four guys I beat have all been ranked.”

Dems fightin’ words. Too bad that Conor already has an assignment to handle at UFC 205.

Look, not saying that Max Holloway doesn’t have a point here. He’s wanted to fight Jose Aldo and rematch Conor McGregor for a long time now. Holloway has collected some high level scalps in his bid for a title shot and by all rights has a reason to complain about an Aldo retirement or a McGregor money fight at MSG. The unfortunate part for him is that he’ll have to wait on the sidelines regardless.

For Max Holloway’s full rant, head over to MMAFighting.com.

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Max Holloway Rips Jose Aldo For Wanting Rematch With Conor McGregor

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Max Holloway is currently on a lengthy winning streak and a top contender in the featherweight division. Holloway is a fighter who is close to a title shot. However, the UFC doesn’t see him as a giant star. Holloway recently posted on Twitter, “PUSSY-ITIS. #maxforgold,” regarding the news that Jose Aldo wants out of his UFC deal following the announcement made by the UFC about current UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor fighting current lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 on November 12th at MSG in New York.

Holloway recently spoke with MMA Fighting and put Aldo on blast.

Holloway is not in favor of those who say that Aldo needs a rematch with McGregor. Holloway pointed out the Aldo pulled out of their first fight back at UFC 189 in 2015.

“People keep saying Aldo deserves this, he deserves that — how the hell do you deserve something when you pulled out of all these events?” he said. “And did the UFC ever make an interim title when he did? They held that all the way until they gave the interim title to Conor [at UFC 189], but they did it for a business move, to make for a huge event at UFC 194. People keep forgetting the past, of what Aldo did. How many times did he screw the UFC getting hurt and not fighting in the event and the UFC scrambling around and they’ve got to find new fighters for the event or scratch his fight? People say 13 seconds…who the f*ck wants to see the rematch after 13 seconds? I sure as hell don’t want to see it.”

Holloway understands that he is not a big name as Aldo right now but does think that he needs to get some wins over big name fighters like Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes.

“I’m not a big name like Aldo,” he said. “I’m not as big as Aldo as it is right now, because Aldo had the opportunity to fight a big name and he took it over, and he made his way to the top. Just like McGregor did. He fought some big names, to make his name. Where the hell is my big name that I can go off of? I fought Cub, I fought this Jeremy guy, everybody telling me they want me to fight Frankie, and I’ve been calling out Frankie. Before Mendes got suspended, I’ve been calling out Chad Mendes. It should have been me and Frankie Edgar at that Ultimate Fighter [22 Finale] instead of Chad. That wasn’t my decision. I was begging for a fight. Shit, me and my team was begging for Frankie Edgar at MSG.

Holloway made it clear that he doesn’t see Aldo defending the interim featherweight title but does hope that he does so he can fight him because he feels that he is the only guy that Aldo can fight aside from McGregor.

“I didn’t think Aldo would even want to defend the [interim] title. But I didn’t want him sitting out. I figured if he wanted a fight, I’d fight him, and the only guy that made sense was me. I turned my whole attention to Aldo because we called out Frankie for this MSG card, and people were telling my team that he was going to 135. So I was like, what the hell? I’ll stop harassing him if he’s going to 35, then I see he’s fighting Jeremy at 45. So f*ck this shit. This sh*t is all wired and hectic.”

Switching gears, Holloway put McGregor on blast for not facing top tier talent in the featherweight division.

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JOSE ALDO WANTS ANTHONY PETTIS FOR MONEY FIGHT.

It seems everyone’s catching on to the new economic turn of the UFC. Previous nice guys from Tyron Woodley, Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, to now Featherweight interim champ Jose Aldo are calling for big money fights! Where did they learn this current trend? Daddy Dana, that’s who.

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“No more Mr. nice guy…”

It seems everyone’s catching on to the new economic turn of the UFC. Previous nice guys from Tyron Woodley, Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, to now Featherweight interim champ Jose Aldo are calling for big money fights! Where did they learn this current trend? Daddy Dana, that’s who.

In a recent interview with Brazilain TV show Revista Combate, Aldo explained that he’s looking for a big money fight, and if it’s not with Mcgregor, his close second would be former lightweight champion and kick heard round the world performer Anthony Pettis.

“I’m already frustrated that it might happen, but we’ll see,” Aldo recently told Brazilian TV show Revista Combate. “Every night I ask ‘give me one more chance to get in there again with him and I know it won’t happen again.’ but if it’s not him, I think I’d prefer to fight Pettis. I with them learned that I don’t have to look at the promotion’s side, the title run. A fight with Pettis would sell a lot more than Holloway.

He’s right. While Max Holloway has been on a 9 fight win streak since losing to Conor McGregor in 2013, the Anthony Pettis match up is a much bigger fight. And while it may be “fair” for Holloway to get the next big matchup, we all know that term is very fluid in the world of UFC. Plus, Aldo held the belt for 5 years and is now the #1 contender in a division where the champion is all but vacant, he should have some say.

“Holloway is way tougher than Pettis today,” Aldo said. “‘Do Bronx’ (Oliveira) was winning the fight, but (his cardio) goes down drastically during the fight. I think that a fight with Pettis would sell a lot and is way easier for me. If I had to choose one of them it would be him because it sells more and I have a better chance, but I respect him.”

“I’m trying to get a fight at this UFC card in New York, but we’ll see what ‘Dede’ (Pederneiras) has to say when he comes back. ‘Dede’ is (in Cleveland) now for a meeting with Dana to decide our future. I hope everything goes right. If it’s not against (McGregor) we fight for the undisputed belt. We’ll see.

Before we get into the issue of whether Jose Aldo is ducking anyone let’s not forget that this fight was set to happen years ago. After seeing Jose Aldo defend his belt against Frankie Edgar at UFC 156, Pettis texted Dana White saying he would accept the fight. Pettis later had to pull out due to a knee injury.

“Something interesting happened about 10 minutes ago,” White said at the postfight news conference. “Anthony Pettis said, ‘I want to go to 145 and fight Jose Aldo.’ He told me he’ll make 145.” –Dana White (2013)

Ultimately it comes down to Dana. Even though the organization has new owners, it seems they’re still leaving him to headline the sport aspect of the UFC. While either fight would be a barn burner, it would be nice to see these two wizards go head to head.

Smart move, or coward’s journey? What do you guys think of Jose Aldo calling out the featherweight newcomer?

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Frankie Edgar vs. Jeremy Stephens Latest Rumored Bout At UFC 205

Add a potential featherweight barnburner to the growing list of high-profile bouts at November’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden. According to a report from Combate, two-time former title challenger Frankie Edgar will battle No. 7-ranked Jeremy Stephens at the UFC’s first major card from New York City. Edgar will seek to rebound from his

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Add a potential featherweight barnburner to the growing list of high-profile bouts at November’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden.

According to a report from Combate, two-time former title challenger Frankie Edgar will battle No. 7-ranked Jeremy Stephens at the UFC’s first major card from New York City.

Edgar will seek to rebound from his second unanimous decision loss to Jose Aldo. The two threw down for the interim 145-pound belt at July 9’s UFC 200, where ‘Junior’ edged the answer to remain the only man to beat ‘The Answer’ twice (or at all) at 145 pounds. There was talk of of Edgar cutting down yet another weight class to fight for the 135-pound belt, but nothing came of the speculation.

Hailing from nearby Toms River, New Jersey, Edgar will be faced with a pivotal bout in front of his family and friends as he attempts to claw his way back to another elusive title.

Stephens, on the other hand, has very little to lose, as he has the opportunity to score a two-fight win streak over some top names after his decision win over former bantamweight champ Renan Barao in his last fight. “Lil’ Heathen” is well known for putting on some of the most exciting bouts in the UFC. He’s won two out of his last three, with the only loss in that period to surging contender Max Holloway, who’s won nine in a row.

Edgar vs. Stephens will join a growing UFC 205 lineup that added Chris Weidman vs. Yoel Romero today, Donald Cerrone vs. Kelvin Gastelum, and Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy. Less than two months away from the hyped and historic card, UFC 205 does not yet have a main event in place, although Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight belt has been rumored.

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Jose Aldo Wants Pettis Over Holloway Because It’s ‘Way Easier Fight’

If Max Holloway thought Jose Aldo was already ‘running scared’ from him, this is really going to make him mad. One day after “Blessed” called out the interim featherweight champ for waiting for his rematch with Conor McGregor or even taking a fight against new 145-pound contender Anthony Pettis, Aldo confirmed to Brazilian show Revista Combate (via

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If Max Holloway thought Jose Aldo was already ‘running scared’ from him, this is really going to make him mad.

One day after “Blessed” called out the interim featherweight champ for waiting for his rematch with Conor McGregor or even taking a fight against new 145-pound contender Anthony Pettis, Aldo confirmed to Brazilian show Revista Combate (via MMA Fighting) that he wants his rematch, but if he can’t face off with ‘The Notorious’ again, he’d prefer a bout with ‘Showtime’ because it would sell better:

“I’m already frustrated that it might happen. Every night I ask ‘give me one more chance to get in there again with him and I know it won’t happen again.’ but if it’s not him, I think I’d prefer to fight Pettis. I with them learned that I don’t have to look at the promotion’s side, the title run. A fight with Pettis would sell a lot more than Holloway.”

The former lightweight champ recently made a splash debut at August 27’s UFC on FOX 21 by submitting tough challenger Charles Oliveira in a back-and-forth affair, but Aldo said he believes Holloway, who’s racked up an insane nine straight wins, is the much tougher opponent:

“Holloway is way tougher than Pettis today. ‘Do Bronx’ (Oliveira) was winning the fight, but (his cardio) goes down drastically during the fight. I think that a fight with Pettis would sell a lot and is way easier for me. If I had to choose one of them it would be him because it sells more and I have a better chance, but I respect him.”

Aldo won the interim title with a second decision win over Frankie Edgar at July’s UFC 200, and is now set on fighting for the undisputed belt next no matter what. McGregor, on the other hand, has been linked to a possible lightweight title fight against 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez, or even a monumental super fight with former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, meaning that the featherweight title defense Dana White swore was coming might never truly happen.

The Nova Uniao superstar revealed he’s trying to get on UFC 205 in New York City, and wants the biggest money fight possible after following White’s lead. His longtime head coach Andre Pederneiras is negotiating with the UFC to hopefully get him a spot in what might be MMA’s biggest card of 2016:

“It makes sense, but I’m not looking at the whole title thing now,” Aldo said of fighting Holloway in New York. “I look at the financial aspect of it. I thought about my legacy and career before, but now I look with different eyes. I think Dana White taught me that. The biggest slice of the cake has to be mine.

“I’m trying to get a fight at this UFC card in New York, but we’ll see what ‘Dede’ (Pederneiras) has to say when he comes back. ‘Dede’ is (in Cleveland) now for a meeting with Dana to decide our future. I hope everything goes right. If it’s not against (McGregor) we fight for the undisputed belt. We’ll see.”

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Former UFC Champ: Conor McGregor Needs To Defend His Title Now

In the weeks following UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor’s close majority decision win over Nate Diaz at welterweight in the main event of August 20’s UFC 202, “The Notorious” has been linked to a variety of high-profile bouts for his next attraction. Those include potentially lucrative fights against supposedly returning former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre

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Those include potentially lucrative fights against supposedly returning former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and current lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, but one MMA legend agrees with the many who think McGregor should finally defend his 145-pound title. Speaking during a recent interview with Submission Radio, former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten revealed his stance that McGregor should finally give Jose Aldo, whom he knocked out in 13 seconds to win the belt, his long overdue rematch:

“No, they cannot do it – well they can do it if they want, but that’s not going to be well received. I would say what you said, give up the title, then step away from it and go for the title shot at 155. That I can see happening. But both? No. I think there’s going to be a backlash. I think people are gonna speak up.”

“He needs to defend his title now against Jose Aldo. That’s first. He should have done that before already, I believe. So now he’s going to have to go back to 145, defend his title, then decide.”

As for the rumored fight with GSP, Rutten was brutally honest in his assessment of how it would play out, which made the fight one he is not interesting in seeing. “El Guapo” would be more interested in seeing St-Pierre face top welterweight contender Stephen Thompson:

“Nah. I rather see GSP against somebody with better takedown defense, because we know what’s going to happen – and even if you have great takedown defense, it’s still going to be hard not to be taken down by GSP. We know what’s going to happen, he’s (Georges St-Pierre) going to take him down and then be on top of him. I don’t know if that’s going to be an exciting fight, you know, the whole time he’s on top. I don’t know if he can finish him once he has him on the ground, so I don’t know. Rather see him against Wonderboy or something like that. I think that would be a really good fight – GSP I’m talking about.”

It may be a bit blunt, yet it’s an honest assessment of the situation, as fans new to MMA may think McGregor owns a decided edge on the long-absent St-Pierre while in truth the all-time legend would have a huge edge on McGregor in the wrestling department – his main perceived area of weakness.

Many fans and media members are calling for McGregor to either give Aldo the second chance at redemption he earned by beating Frankie Edgar for the interim featherweight belt at UFC 200, or vacate that title to go on and contend for a second belt up a weight class.

The fight with St-Pierre will always be there, too, and it could truly contend for the title of the biggest fight in UFC history, at least in terms of pay-per-view sales and live gate. The outcome, however, may be a bit of a letdown if anything close to Rutten’s prediction were to come true.

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