Max Holloway is determined to prove doubters wrong and potentially earn a fourth fight against UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski after witnessing Israel Adesanya‘s inspiring victory at UFC 287.
Max Holloway may have experienced his third loss to Alexander Volkanovski, but that doesn’t mean he’s out of the title picture or giving up hope on eventually earning a fourth fight against the reigning UFC featherweight champion. As he prepares to return at UFC Kansas City on Saturday, Holloway is determined to fire back at critics who think he’s past his prime just because he failed to beat Volkanovski in their most recent encounter. In fact, Holloway promises he’s more fired up than ever to prove the doubters wrong, which is exactly what he intends to do in his fight against Arnold Allen.
“[I need to] make a statement,” Holloway said during media day at UFC Kansas City. “That’s in my mind. Just remind people. I guess I got a little Roy Jones in me. Y’all must’ve forgot.” He went on to say, “I’m hearing everybody talking, hearing the critics, hearing the media, hearing all the social media people talking. I just can’t wait to go out there and show out.” While Holloway knows it’s not going to be easy to get back to Volkanovski with an 0-3 record against him thus far, he’s not giving up hope.
Holloway was recently inspired by Israel Adesanya, who overcame similar struggles to knock out Alex Pereira at UFC 287 after losing to him three separate times across kickboxing and MMA. This fight alone proved to Holloway that he can not only get back to Volkanovski, but also finally slay his supposed boogeyman. “I’m still here,” Holloway said. “I’m right here, right in front of him. People keep giving me a hard time ‘how are we going to do the fourth [fight]?’ and blah, blah, blah, this and that. Watching [Israel Adesanya] last week it was pretty inspiring.”
With 30 fights on his resume and nearly 13 years banked as a professional fighter, Holloway knows that an MMA career will often be filled with ups and downs, and unlike other sports, there’s rarely a chance to immediately bounce back from a bad night at the office. For those questioning where Holloway fits in the division, he’s quick to shut down the idea that he’s just fighting for a paycheck. The 31-year-old Hawaiian insists that if he just wanted some money in his bank account, there are far easier fights to take. “If being the champion wasn’t my motivation, if being the greatest wasn’t my motivation, why would I take this fight?” Holloway said. “If I was in it to just fight or even to get money grabs, I’d take easier fights.”