Max Holloway suffered his first knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 and is considering a move back to the lightweight division, with plans to return to fighting in mid-2025.
Could Max Holloway have fought his last battle at 145 pounds? Maybe.
The ex-featherweight champ had a shot to reclaim his title at UFC 308. But instead, he faced the first knockout loss of his illustrious career. Ilia Topuria took him down in the third round.
In the past decade, only two featherweights have managed to defeat Holloway: Topuria and Alexander Volkanovski. Interestingly, Volkanovski never finished him despite their epic 75-minute trilogy. At the post-fight press conference, “Blessed” shared his thoughts on that unexpected finish.
“I felt great,” Holloway remarked. “I was finding my groove. Saw it on the scoreboards after… kind of surprised, thought I had at least one round. The first round, he took me down, but hey, it is what it is. Felt good, showing off my hands, landing shots, being fast. Think I had him surprised until I wasn’t.”
Holloway continued, “First couple rounds, he landed some left hooks. Took me down—didn’t feel too strong. It’s a game of inches. He landed something; next thing I know, I’m looking up from the ground.”
One thing Holloway won’t do? Blame the loss on cutting down to featherweight after competing at 155 pounds recently. Just this past April at UFC 300, he fought at lightweight and clinched the “BMF” title with a stunning knockout against Justin Gaethje.
Even though the cut to 145 is still doable, Holloway thinks moving back to lightweight might be smart.
“Had the best ‘45 cut here,” Holloway said. “But what else is there? Tried reclaiming [the featherweight title] a few times. New guys coming up could be fun. But ‘55 looks exciting! More caliber fighters and names—I’d love to mix it up there.”
He didn’t specify who he’d like to fight at lightweight. When a third bout with Dustin Poirier was suggested, Holloway joked about wanting revenge but noted his bad luck against opponents who’ve beaten him twice already. Yet, plenty of thrilling matchups await for the 32-year-old veteran.
Regardless of weight class, Holloway doesn’t plan to fight again until mid-2025.
“We’ll sit down with the team and relax,” Holloway mentioned. “No rush right now. Maybe return by summer—big July card in Vegas sounds cool—see what happens then. The [155-pound division] looks really good right now.”