Max Holloway confirms full-time move to lightweight after UFC 308 title loss: ‘155, here we come’
Max Holloway is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC and has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest featherweight fighters of all time. However, his time as a featherweight is coming to an end, as Holloway announced on his YouTube channel that he is moving to the lightweight division full-time.
The news follows Holloway’s TKO loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in a bid to regain the 145-pound championship. The Topuria fight was also the first time Holloway had been stopped in his professional career – and the first time he had suffered a knockdown.
“It’s like my phoenix moment, from the ashes we are reborn,” Holloway said. “We’re moving on to bigger and better things, walking through a new door and starting a new chapter. I’m a firm believer in the principle of never say never, and the big question now is: ‘Was this your last fight at 145 ? You saw me talk about it at the press conference, and I can honestly say I think I’m done at 145. Your boy is just getting older.”
Holloway, who turns 33 on Dec. 4, said he had no issues with his weight loss for the Topuria fight, but he’s looking forward to not giving up certain foods during fight camps now that he will campaign at 155 pounds.
“I had to give up ramen for my [145-pound] camps,” Holloway said. “I’m done with it — I don’t ever want to give up ramen again. 155, here we are and 155 is where I want to stay. This is a new chapter. This is where we start. This is where we start. I can’t wait. …I can honestly look you in the eye and tell you that I will probably never go back to 145. »
Holloway won the interim featherweight championship at UFC 206 in December 2016 with a TKO victory over Antony Pettis. He followed that up with a TKO victory in June 2017 over then-champion Jose Aldo to unify the titles.
Holloway would make three defenses of the belt, losing once during that stretch in an effort to win the interim lightweight title against Dustin Poirier in April 2019.
Alexander Volkanovski won the title against Holloway in December 2019 and would go on to win two rematches with Holloway. Despite losses to Volkanovski, Holloway remained relevant in the division by consistently defeating other top challengers and eventually earned another shot at the belt once Topuria took the strap from Volkanovski.
“I love what I’ve done,” Holloway said of his move to the featherweight division. “I did what I did. I did what I had to do there. I worked my way back, I held on to the championship fight a few times there “I was a champion.
Holloway’s most recent victory came at lightweight, when he defeated Justin Gaethje in a fight for the ceremonial “BMF” championship, knocking out Gaethje in the final second of their five-round fight.
There are plenty of big names at 155 and Holloway will be looking to make a splash in some marquee fights in his new division.