Tag: Max Holloway

Max Holloway Not Impressed With Dominick Cruz’s Recent Comments

The UFC featherweight division was altered once again at UFC 200. After being knocked out cold by Conor McGregor at UFC 194, Jose Aldo returned to action on July 9 to rematch his old rival Frankie Edgar. Although many felt ‘The Answer’ should have been getting a shot at the undisputed belt, McGregor’s exploits at

The post Max Holloway Not Impressed With Dominick Cruz’s Recent Comments appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The UFC featherweight division was altered once again at UFC 200. After being knocked out cold by Conor McGregor at UFC 194, Jose Aldo returned to action on July 9 to rematch his old rival Frankie Edgar. Although many felt ‘The Answer’ should have been getting a shot at the undisputed belt, McGregor’s exploits at welterweight meant the fight with ‘Scarface’ was the best option. The interim belt was introduced for the second time in three fights for the division, and once again the Brazilian felt gold around his waist after five rounds.

This opened the door to a rematch with ‘The Notorious,’ although no solid time has been placed on that do-over, but could there be another potentially pivotal bout brewing in the meantime? UFC bantamweight boss Dominick Cruz spoke up yesterday with a rather interesting challenge. Claiming he wanted to fight Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, ‘The Dominator’ made clear his intentions to greatly further his status in the promotion.

A. Dom Cruz

After numerous injuries and surgeries saw Cruz vacate the bantamweight belt and fight just once in the space of nearly five years, he made a fairy tale comeback against TJ Dillashaw this past January. Winning back the title and defending it against Urijah Faber at UFC 199, ‘The Dominator’ said he’s now eyeing fights with McGregor or Aldo. His comments have struck a nerve with streaking featherweight Max Holloway though, as he voiced his displeasure on Twitter:

Currently on a nine fight winning streak which includes victories over Cub Swanson, Jeremy Stephens and Ricardo Lamas, ‘Blessed’ may have a point here. What’s important to consider in this argument though is the attraction of a super fight. Those extremely rare bouts where champions take on fellow champions, something that the promotion places very high in their monetary prioritisation.

Max Holloway

Although Max Holloway is clearly quite deserving of a title fight, it’s also apparent that Aldo probably wants McGregor or bust. Now factor in that Dominick Cruz could potentially jump the queue, could we see another streaking featherweight contender snubbed by champions changing divisions?

The post Max Holloway Not Impressed With Dominick Cruz’s Recent Comments appeared first on LowKick MMA.

John Kavanagh Intrigued By Potential McGregor-Edgar Bout

Conor McGregor is slated to rematch Nate Diaz, who submitted him last March, in the main event of August’s UFC 202 in a welterweight bout, once again putting the featherweight division on hold by opting not to defend his title. There has been speculation that McGregor may never return to 145-pounds, and his long-time head

The post John Kavanagh Intrigued By Potential McGregor-Edgar Bout appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Conor McGregor is slated to rematch Nate Diaz, who submitted him last March, in the main event of August’s UFC 202 in a welterweight bout, once again putting the featherweight division on hold by opting not to defend his title.

There has been speculation that McGregor may never return to 145-pounds, and his long-time head coach John Kavanagh isn’t sure either, although he would like to see McGregor defend the strap against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar:

“The short answer is I don’t know,” Kavanagh told Jonathan Shrager of the MMAUnderground when asked about McGregor’s return to 145. “I’m very intrigued to see the Aldo and Edgar fight.”

Edgar will face off with Aldo for the second time at UFC 200 next month with the interim featherweight strap hanging in the balance. Aldo is coming off of a brutal 13 second knockout loss to McGregor last December, and Kavanagh hopes he took the time to recover properly:

“I hope Aldo is fully recovered from the bad knockout. I thought (Chad) Mendes went back in there really quick after the knockout against Conor,” Kavanagh said. “People don’t realize the damage it does — it takes a long time to recover, and I think Mendes went down quicker in that fight because of that. Maybe if he’d let himself rest a bit more he might have had more fight for Edgar. I hope that’s not the case for Aldo, (I hope) we get to see a solid version of Aldo and a new kind of improved Edgar, and see what different from the first fight. So yea, let’s see that, and assess after the rematch. It’s kind of those two names and (Max) Holloway kind of in the mix, so it’s an interesting time.”

Holloway is indeed another name in the title discussion, as he’s won a division best nine straight since dropping a decision loss to the “Notorious” one in 2013. Kavanagh thinks quite highly of “Blessed”, and a rematch between him and McGregor is another possibility for the future if the Irishman indeed drops back down to featherweight:

“I thought Holloway looked fantastic the other night [at UFC 199]. I’ve said it ever since Conor fought Max, I had him as the second best 145er in the division,” Kavanagh said. “I think he’s the best of them all. That’s just my own personal opinion. And he looked very, very good against Lamas — I was actually surprised he didn’t stop him, but Lamas is a tough guy, so, it went the distance. Holloway really stood out in that fight for me.” 

After his rematch with Diaz, what do you see the lying ahead for McGregor?

The post John Kavanagh Intrigued By Potential McGregor-Edgar Bout appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Seven Biggest Takeaways From The Epic UFC 199

UFC 199 took Inglewood, California by storm last weekend (Sat., June 4, 2016) on pay-per-view (PPV), and MMA fans were blessed with one of the most exciting events in recent memory. Of all thirteen bouts that took place Saturday night, eight of them ended with someone taking an early nap on the canvas. Title contenders emerged, rivalries

The post Seven Biggest Takeaways From The Epic UFC 199 appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC 199 took Inglewood, California by storm last weekend (Sat., June 4, 2016) on pay-per-view (PPV), and MMA fans were blessed with one of the most exciting events in recent memory.

Of all thirteen bouts that took place Saturday night, eight of them ended with someone taking an early nap on the canvas. Title contenders emerged, rivalries were ended, legacies were solidified, and a new champion was crowned to the surprise of many.

Aside from the event itself, a pair of exciting developments were revealed, as a rematch between two brash rivals was made official, and a former champion’s return was shockingly unveiled.

UFC 199 has given us plenty to talk about, so let’s jump right into the seven biggest takeaways from the groundbreaking night of fights…

The post Seven Biggest Takeaways From The Epic UFC 199 appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Max Holloway Vs. Ricardo Lamas UFC 199 Video Highlights

Max Holloway picked Ricardo Lamas apart Saturday night at UFC 199, earning his ninth consecutive victory in the process.

Check out the video below for highlights from the pay-per-view featherweight fight.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=…

Max Holloway

Max Holloway picked Ricardo Lamas apart Saturday night at UFC 199, earning his ninth consecutive victory in the process.

Check out the video below for highlights from the pay-per-view featherweight fight.

UFC 199 Video: Max Holloway Chasing Ninth Straight Victory

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQR_FkRdef4[/embed]

UFC featherweight contender Max Holloway rides an eight-fight win streak into UFC 199 this Saturday night against Ricardo Lamas.

For Holloway, the bout presents another chance to prove …

Max Holloway

UFC featherweight contender Max Holloway rides an eight-fight win streak into UFC 199 this Saturday night against Ricardo Lamas.

For Holloway, the bout presents another chance to prove his worth in the stacked 145-pound division.

Hear from the fighter in this special UFC promo video.

UFC 199 Fight Flying Under The Radar Pits Max Holloway Vs. Ricardo Lamas (Editorial)

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDbSE8fdE98[/embed]

Lost in the hype centering around Saturday night’s UFC 199 main event and co-main event is an intriguing featherweight contest.

Yes, Luke Rockhold-Michael Bisping for the middleweight bel…

Max Holloway

Lost in the hype centering around Saturday night’s UFC 199 main event and co-main event is an intriguing featherweight contest.

Yes, Luke Rockhold-Michael Bisping for the middleweight belt and Dominick Cruz-Urijah Faber for the bantamweight strap are excellent fights and deserve the attention they are getting.

But Max Holloway and Ricardo Lamas just might steal the spotlight.

With the division on a bit of a stand-still at the moment, Holloway (15-3) comes in one of the sports hottest fighters. The 24-year-old has won eight straight since taking Conor McGregor – the UFC featherweight champion – to the scorecards back in 2013.

Included in his run are victories over Jeremy Stephens, Charles Oliveira, Cub Swanson and Cole Miller. Holloway has finished six of those eight opponents, including a third round submission of Swanson and a first round knockout of Akira Corassani.

It is likely that a ninth consecutive win will position him nicely behind McGregor and the UFC 200 winner of Jose Aldo-Frankie Edgar for the interim title.

Lamas, 10 years the elder of Holloway, is 16-4 and fought for the UFC belt vs. Aldo back in 2014. He took the Brazilian to the 25-minute mark, falling via decision.

Since that contest, Lamas has gone 3-1, losing only to perennial top contender Chad Mendes. He earned a recent decision over Diego Sanchez, submitted Dennis Bermudez two years ago and topped Hacran Dias after his defeat to Aldo.

Along with Holloway-Lamas, Dustin Poirier-Bobby Green, Beneil Dariush-James Vick and Jessica Penne-Jessica Andrade are all potential “Fight of the Night” candidates outside of the championship matches.