MMA News

Tag: Max Holloway

  • Watch: Khabib Remains Undefeated With Metaverse Win Over Holloway

    Khabib Nurmagomedov and former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway finally went to battle in the metaverse.

    Nurmagomedov and Holloway faced off in the virtual reality boxing game Creed: Rise To Glory. UFC commentator Daniel Cormier and lightweight contender Islam Makhachev were among those in attendance for the match.

    Nurmagomedov and Holloway used the Oculus VR headset and controllers to fight in the virtual boxing match. Both UFC stars had their moments in the ring, but ultimately Nurmagomedov came out on top with a massive knockout.

    Nurmagomedov participated in the event at the American Kickboxing Academy gym, while Holloway could be seen fighting in his living room. Nurmagomedov talked trash to Holloway throughout the fight.

    Check out footage of the fight below courtesy of YouTuber FightNight.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt7twerRa0A

    The event was put together by Legionfarm and attendees had to purchase at least one Legionfarm NFT to sit in the virtual crowd. The fight took place just hours before the UFC 271 card got underway in Houston, TX.

    Nurmagomedov and Holloway were supposed to fight back at UFC 223 before Holloway pulled out due to an illness. Holloway stepped up on short notice after Nurmagomedov’s original opponent, Tony Ferguson, withdrew due to an injury sustained during fight week.

    UFC President Dana White has also teased a virtual fight in the metaverse to happen at some point. No details have been revealed just yet.

    Holloway is looking to bounce back in 2022 with another push for the featherweight title, while Nurmagomedov is planning on a busy year as a promoter for Eagle FC.

    What is your reaction to this metaverse fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway?

  • Khabib Nurmagomedov Vs. Max Holloway Set For Metaverse Fight

    Former UFC champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway will finally face off in the Octagon.

    Well, sort of.

    Nurmagomedov and Holloway will participate in what’s being advertised as the first Metaverse fight in world history on February 12. Viewers will be able to attend the event by purchasing at least one Legionfarm NFT.

    Nurmagomedov’s former American Kickboxing Academy teammates, Daniel Cormier and Islam Makhachev will be featured guests at the event. Cormier will then turn around and be part of the UFC 271 commentary team in Houston, TX.

    Holloway confirmed the news in a recent Instagram post.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ0P90UvjpI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    “Are you ready to make history?” Holloway said. “On February 12, Legionfarm, a place where gamers meet and play with PRO players, will be hosting an epic event in Mozilla Hubs Metaverse with the First Metaverse Fight in the history of the Earth between Khabib Nurmagomedov and me. And you are invited to witness it.” (h/t MMA Mania)

    Holloway and Nurmagomedov nearly squared off in the UFC Octagon at UFC 223. This was after Nurmagomedov’s original opponent, Tony Ferguson, pulled out with an injury just days before the event.

    Holloway was then ruled physically unfit to compete on short notice against Nurmagomedov and Al Iaquinta ended up getting the title shot. Nurmagomedov defeated him via a unanimous decision to earn the lightweight title.

    Nurmagomedov has retired from professional MMA and currently promotes Eagle FC. Holloway is looking to earn another featherweight title shot in 2022.

    UFC President Dana White has previously teased that his promotion will hold a fight in the Metaverse at some point. The Nurmagomedov vs. Holloway event appears to be completely separate from that declaration.

    Will you attend the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Max Holloway Metaverse fight?

  • Volkanovski Accuses Holloway Of Faking Injury, Rejects Backup Fight

    UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has sent an emphatic response to rival Max Holloway’s request to be backup for the UFC 273 title fight.

    Volkanovski and Holloway were set to collide for a trilogy clash at UFC 272 on March 5. However, mere days after news of the matchup broke, “Blessed” was forced to withdraw after aggravating a previous injury. That led to a search for a new championship challenger and the announcement of a new date for the Australian’s next defense – UFC 273 on April 9.

    Late last week, ESPN revealed Holloway had been cleared to return to training and was open to serving as a backup fighter for the UFC 273 main event. It’s fair to say that development hasn’t thrilled the reigning titleholder.

    Taking to Twitter, Volkanovski lambasted Holloway, accusing him of faking his injury. He ended the rant by seemingly declining the Hawaiian’s backup request.

    “@BlessedMMA wants to be the backup fighter for the fight he was originally scheduled to fight. so in other words…he was never injured. Just hoping he doesn’t have to fight me or fight me while I’m preparing for someone…but hey ‘if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying’…NO”

    Volkanovski and Holloway have already shared the Octagon twice. At UFC 245 in December 2019, “The Great” dethroned “Blessed” via unanimous decision, securing his place on the featherweight throne as an undefeated UFC fighter. Seven months later, the pair met for the second time at UFC 251 on Fight Island. In an even tighter contest, it was Volkanovski who fell on the right side of a split decision.

    Despite acknowledging that Holloway’s five-round victories over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez in 2021 certainly cemented the 30-year-old as the #1 contender, Volkanovski previously suggested Holloway may be keen to avoid a trilogy fight in order to prevent his legacy from being damaged by a third defeat to the Aussie.

    Holloway’s injury and subsequent recovery have clearly fueled that hypothesis in the mind of the featherweight king.

    Volkanovski Has His Sights Set On The Zombie

    After the Holloway scrap fell through, the UFC and Volkanovski were certainly not short on potential replacement opponents. From Giga Chikadze and Yair Rodriguez to Josh Emmett and Henry Cejudo, a heap of names wanted a shot at the 33-year-old’s belt.

    The man chosen, however, is a fan-favorite divisional veteran who has thrilled UFC fans since his debut in 2011. At UFC 273, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung will have his second chance at reaching the top of the featherweight food chain.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZnhjU5tQNd/

    While it stands to reason the victor will face the challenge of Holloway later in the year, Volkanovski is clearly skeptical of that happening if he has his hand raised on April 9.

    Who do you think will leave UFC 273 with featherweight gold, Alexander Volkanovski or “The Korean Zombie?”

  • Max Holloway Cleared To Resume Training, Asks To Be UFC 273 Backup

    Max Holloway is ready to get himself back inside the UFC Octagon.

    The former featherweight champion Max Holloway is on the mend. After suffering an injury that forced him out of a title shot at UFC 272, Holloway is now healed up and ready to get back to training, sources revealed the news to ESPN on Friday. According to the report, Holloway will be ready to fight in just a few weeks and would like to serve as the backup for the title fight scheduled between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Chang Sung Jung.

    Holloway was originally the first choice to face off against Volkanovski for the title. The two were briefly linked to a fight at UFC 272 before Holloway was injured. “The Korean Zombie” was the man to step up and into the slot. The bout was then moved to UFC 273 after a welterweight matchup between Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal was booked as the UFC 272 main event.

    Holloway and Volkanovski have quite a history together. The two fought two back to back in 2019 and 2020. Holloway suffered losses both times they met. He is still the #1 contender and the likely choice to stand in next against whoever takes home the belt on April 9.

    Volkanovski is undefeated in his UFC career and has not lost since 2013. He is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the 145-pound division. If he can get past Jung, a third go-around with Holloway should be on the docket. However, Jung is a tough opponent who is currently 3-1 in his last four.

    UFC 273 is set to take place on April 9 in Jacksonville, Florida. The featherweight title will serve as the main event with a bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan as the co-main event.

    Do you think Max Holloway will regain the featherweight title in 2022?

  • Flashback To White Worrying Kattar Would Die After Holloway Loss

    As we now know, Calvin Kattar did survive his fight against Max Holloway last year, but Dana White wasn’t so sure that would be the case while watching the fight.

    One year ago immediately following the Holloway/Kattar fight, UFC President Dana White said thought the main event between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar should’ve been stopped after the fourth round.

    In a video the UFC uploaded, it showed White freaking out thinking Kattar might die due to all the damage he sustained.

    After the fourth round, White spoke to UFC executive Hunter Campbell and said he wanted Kattar to the hospital immediately after the fight.

    “He took so much f*cking punishment in this fight, I’m freaking out a little bit, man. I don’t know. I don’t like it. This reminds me of the kind of fight where the fight’s over, and he walks out back and f*cking dies. I think that f*cking Herb Dean should’ve stopped it before the (fifth) round. He was wobbling all over the f*cking place,” White said on the UFC’s Grand Stage video.

    “When we had him up against the cage, that’s when he had him,” Campbell said.

    “He should have stopped the fight right there,” White said.

    Kattar’s Manager Explains Non-Stoppage

    Max Holloway bloodies, batters Calvin Kattar to put on five-round clinic in UFC Fight Island 7 main event - MMA Fighting

    Weeks later, Kattar’s manager, Tyson Chartier, offered the following explanation for why the fight was not stopped:

    “It definitely did [get close to us stopping it],” Chartier stated to MMAFighting. “I’m sitting in the corner and every time things were getting really bad, Calvin’s back was to us, and we see Max, and we see Herb. There was a couple of times when we were like, ‘F*ck, is he gonna stop it?’ And I was hoping Herb would stop it. And then all of a sudden we saw he wasn’t going to stop it, we were like, ‘Should we throw in the towel?’ And then I’m thinking we’re gonna throw in the towel, and then Calvin would crack him. Then he would get off the fence and start landing shots. Like, damn it!”

    “It definitely did [get close to us stopping it],” Chartier stated to MMAFighting. “I’m sitting in the corner and every time things were getting really bad, Calvin’s back was to us, and we see Max, and we see Herb. There was a couple of times when we were like, ‘F*ck, is he gonna stop it?’ And I was hoping Herb would stop it. And then all of a sudden we saw he wasn’t going to stop it, we were like, ‘Should we throw in the towel?’ And then I’m thinking we’re gonna throw in the towel, and then Calvin would crack him. Then he would get off the fence and start landing shots. Like, damn it!”

    “There was one point in the fourth round where I looked at Jake [Mainini], the Muay Thai coach, and I was like, ‘Dude, Max is getting tired.’ It was crazy because he was beating us up, but you could see it in his eyes like, ‘Ughh,’ and then he tried to wrestle, tried to take us down, he was getting tired from beating us up and then Calvin landed a good shot again and the round ended.”

    The good news was that Calvin Kattar ended up healing up his injuries and there was no significant life-altering damage. However, “The Boston Finisher” did sustain a plethora of injuries.

    Tonight will be the first time he competes again since absorbing a record number of strikes from “Blessed.” He will be featured in the UFC Vegas 46 against another top-level striker, Giga Chikadze.

  • Kattar Looks Forward To Round 6 With “Uncrowned Champ” Holloway

    Despite taking a beating against Max Holloway last year, Calvin Kattar is ready and willing for some more rounds with the former UFC featherweight champion.

    In the UFC Fight Island 7 headliner last January, Kattar had the chance to stake his claim for a title shot against former titleholder Holloway. But fresh off back-to-back losses to reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski, “Blessed” entered the Octagon that night with a point to prove. That point? “I’m the best boxer in the UFC.”

    Across 25 minutes, Holloway broke record after record. To name a few, the Hawaiian set the UFC records for most significant strikes landed, most significant strikes attempted, highest significant strike differential, and most strikes landed in a single round. The result of those feats was a unanimous decision victory for Holloway and a beaten and bloodied face for Kattar.

    Having sat out for the remainder of 2021, Kattar is set to return to the Octagon this weekend. Approaching the one-year anniversary of the memorable five-rounder, Kattar looked back on the clash during an appearance at UFC Vegas 46 media day on Wednesday.

    While giving credit to Holloway for what is widely regarded as the greatest performance in the promotion’s history, Kattar noted that he ended the main event just how he started it, on his feet.

    With that in mind, “The Boston Finisher” is eager for another crack at the #1-ranked featherweight contender down the line.

    “I look at it (the Holloway fight) as much as I want to. It didn’t work out my way, but like I said man, I finished that fight the way I started, on my two feet. Props to Max, he fought a helluva fight, and I definitely walked away from that fight with an understanding of, kinda, what he was doing and things I’ll take in with me for not only my next fight, but future fights. I look forward to a round six with the uncrowned champ.”

    Kattar Hopes To Rebound In UFC Vegas 46 Main Event

    First and foremost, Kattar’s focus will need to be on returning to the win column in this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 46 headliner. In yet another tough assignment, the 33-year-old will be opposite surging Georgian Giga Chikadze inside the Apex facility in Las Vegas.

    Chikadze, who currently sits at #8 in the division, broke into the title conversation with finishes of Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza in 2021.

    Having called out Volkanovski following Holloway’s withdrawal from his scheduled trilogy clash with the Australian, “Ninja” will be looking to secure a date with the champion with an impressive performance on January 15.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CYjjPSutSif/

    Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Vegas 46, Calvin Kattar or Giga Chikadze?

  • Holloway Out of UFC 272 Trilogy Against Volkanovski Due To Injury

    The third meeting between UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway will have to wait after Holloway was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.

    The new matchup was a chance for Holloway to regain the 145-pound belt and avenge the two previous losses he took to Volkanovski in recent years. ESPN broke the news Friday about Holloway’s withdrawal. There is currently no timetable set for his return.

    The two featherweights first met in late 2019. Volkanovski went five rounds with Holloway in that fight to walk away with a unanimous decision win. The fight was re-booked for just seven months later, giving Holloway an opportunity to even his score with Volkanovski.

    Volkanovski pulled off the win in that meeting as well—albeit in a closer split-decision outcome.

    Calvin Kattar & Max Holloway
    Calvin Kattar & Max Holloway (Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

    Holloway has worked his way towards another title opportunity since then, fighting in two UFC main event bouts. He kicked off his 2021 with a dominant striking performance against Calvin Kattar. Later in the year, he fought in a more competitive five-round battle against Yair Rodriguez for another decision win.

    Volkanovski defended his belt for the second time in September, defeating Brian Ortega in a hard 25-minute scrap. The result not only continued Volkanovski’s reign as champ but marked his 10th consecutive win since joining the UFC in 2016.

    MMA News will keep you posted on if this trilogy fight is rebooked or if Volkanovski draws another opponent for the UFC 272 event.

  • The Pulse of MMA: Fans React To Volkanovski vs. Holloway III Booked

    The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories

    In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we look at the raw, unfiltered reactions from MMA fans to the booking of Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway III.

    Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway Trilogy Set For UFC 272

    Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway
    Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway (Image Credit: Louis Grasse/PxImages & Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

    Yesterday, we learned that Alex Volkanovski will be tasked with beating Max Holloway for the third time when the two meet at UFC 272.

    The first time Volkanovski defeated Holloway was in 2019 at UFC 245. Volkanovski was able to win a relatively comfortable decision to capture the featherweight title in Las Vegas, Nevada, three years ago.

    The rematch, however, would come with quite a bit of controversy, with many (arguably most) scoring the UFC 251 rematch in favor of the former champ, Max Holloway. Nevertheless, as they say, there are only three opinions that matter, and those were swayed in the direction of the Australian.

    Since that loss, Holloway has earned another crack at Volkanovski with back-to-back Fight of the Night-winning victories, first over Calvin Kattar followed by a win over Yair Rodríguez.

    So what did The Pulse of MMA have to say after this trilogy bout was announced? Find out down below!

    https://twitter.com/insanelyvain/status/1478880525297270784
    https://twitter.com/insanelyvain/status/1478880525297270784
    https://twitter.com/StNickyBarnes/status/1478877506702921730
    https://twitter.com/MmaUnderdogs/status/1478936031353356288
    https://twitter.com/Jak_jan10/status/1478869702864740353
    https://twitter.com/MMAngsty/status/1478866836728938496
    https://twitter.com/SauceuaMandela/status/1478865643688632324
    https://twitter.com/WesleyYoder/status/1479020462558498819

    Want to weigh in on the sport’s biggest stories? Be sure to follow us on Twitter and let your voice be heard!

  • [ARCHIVES] Holloway: Conor McGregor Beat Me When We Were Kids

    [MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

    It’s been eight years since Conor McGregor defeated Max Holloway. Much has changed since then, and for the past several years, one thing that has remained the same is talk of a potential rematch between the two. As far back as four years ago, the two former opponens were still trash talking, as they continue to do to this day. The following article is was published on this day four years ago and is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Four Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 4, 2017, 11:51 PM]

    Max Holloway doesn’t take too kindly to Conor McGregor’s social media jab.

    This past Saturday night (Dec. 2), Holloway successfully defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title against Jose Aldo. “Blessed” earned a third-round TKO victory in the main event of UFC 218.

    After the bout, Holloway told the media that McGregor doesn’t want a rematch with him because he’s too busy hoping for a mixed martial arts bout with Paulie Malignaggi. McGregor responded by taking a jab on Twitter:

    Holloway didn’t waste time firing his own shot:

    During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Holloway said he fought hard to restore order in the featherweight division:

    “You know, it’s funny. The guy’s funny, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m on his mind apparently. Like I said, I told you guys, I’m a champion and we just brought order back to the division. I’m trying to think of our division and respect all the other fighters. It took me 10 fights to get the damn interim title shot and then 11 to get an undisputed shot. It’s my duty to make sure everything runs smoothly. I gotta respect our sport, my division and the guys that are fighting in it. That’s what I gotta do. At the end of the day, this guy is gonna keep yapping.”

    He went on to say that McGregor’s win against him came at a time where they both were developing fighters.

    “This guy has got a win over me when we were kids in a Fight Night show — I think the main event was (Chael) Sonnen and (Mauricio) “Shogun” Rua. I don’t know if the two of them are in the UFC anymore. You know me and him made 12K that night and I think he’s happy to hold onto that. That’s the kind of person he is.”