Billy Hull: Holloway likely to enter final stage of MMA career after Saturday’s loss

An hour after the first knockout loss of his 30-fight UFC career, Max Holloway sat behind the podium answering every question any reporter could ask.

When he finished, he stood up and had one last thing to say, unprovoked.

“You guys will see me again. Guys, this is not a funeral, I promise.”

It’s been more than 12 years in the making, from when the excited, baby-faced 20-year-old screamed as he headed toward the Octagon as Kanye West’s “Stronger” blared from the speakers at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas to see. how Holloway gets killed like this.

Eyes rolled into the back of his head, jaw spinning as he fell to the canvas, Holloway suffered his first knockdown and then, moments later, a TKO to challenge Ilya Topuria for the UFC Featherweight Championship in the main event of UFC 308 in Abu -Dabi. on Saturday morning.

Many fans were awakened by flash flood warnings on their cellphones only to see Holloway’s 145-pound career wiped out hours later with the 27-year-old undefeated champion destined to become the UFC’s next big star.

Holloway isn’t quite done with his career at 145 pounds, where he held the title for three years, winning 13 straight fights in the division, but after losing for the fourth time in a row in a featherweight title fight, it’s now time to go hunting for big game in light weight.

– What else should I do? Holloway asked a question about the 145-pound weight class. “I think (155) looks more fun. The names there look very interesting to include my name in the list.”

Holloway is only 32 years old, but with 30 fights and over eight hours of fight time in the UFC Octagon, we’re looking at the next phase of his career.

There will no longer be a year where he fights four times like in 2012, ’14 or ’15.

He hasn’t fought more than twice a year since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and when asked about the timing of his next fight, Holloway looked ahead to July next year and a potential appearance at International Fight Week.

There are no more mountains to climb, only others to stand on.

Holloway becomes a Hall of Famer the moment he’s eligible. It’s hard to make a case that he’s the greatest featherweight of all-time as he’s lost to Alexander Volkanovski three times, but his winning streak starts with a loss to Conor McGregor all the way to the first. The Volkanovski fight, which lasted over six years, is one of the truly great individual runs in UFC history.

Thirteen wins in a row, including five wins over opponents who were or subsequently became UFC champions.

Holloway took the 145-pound division to a level it had never reached. With Topuria likely facing Volkanovski next, he has the opportunity to beat the only two other truly great 145-pound fighters at the moment.

According to Holloway, the lightweight division has names that can sell money on pay-per-views. Dustin Poirier, who we thought might have retired, already said this weekend that he would be willing to fight Holloway for a third time.

Michael Chandler, finally tired of waiting for McGregor, next month will fight former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira, whom Holloway defeated.

The winner of this fight seems extremely tasty.

And then there’s McGregor. The UFC’s cash cow and biggest star is expected to return at some point, although we’ve been hearing about it for ages. It was supposed to be Chandler, but after several delays he finally gave up waiting.

In fact, the timing could be good to stage a long-awaited rematch of the 2013 fight, which ended with McGregor raising his hand after a unanimous decision.

Not that the fight needs any extra edge, but Holloway still has the UFC’s pseudo-championship, the “BMF” belt, to put on the line.

These are decisions that the UFC, Holloway and his team will make in the coming weeks and months.

Saturday’s loss isn’t the end for Holloway, but it felt like the beginning of a final stretch.

His next appearance in the cage will be his 31st, and while it will be just as fun and entertaining as the rest, it will also feel a little more special.

For the first time, the end is already somewhere there, on the horizon. It’s still as far away as the eye can see, but it’s there, and it’s strange to admit that you can feel it.

For a man who has given fans some of the most frustrating moments the UFC has ever produced, it’s time to appreciate every time we see him take that walk again.

On Saturday, Topuria pinned Holloway at 145 pounds. Father Time would ultimately ruin Holloway’s career. Whatever’s left between them, enjoy every moment because Max Holloway doesn’t show up very often.

After all, who else would come to a press conference for more than 10 minutes after such a knockout?

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Contact Billy Hull at [email protected].