After defeating Yair Rodriguez in a five round classic, Max Holloway has put himself back on-track for a trilogy fight with Alexander Volkanovski for the Featherweight title. However, that’s not the only fight available for the Hawaiian.
Max has constantly mentioned a move back up to 155lbs where he has repeatedly brought up the idea of a rematch with Conor McGregor. The Irishman has entertained the idea as well, which would create the biggest non-title fight PPV ever, simply because of the popularity of both men. Yet, Conor still has one eye set on his big rival, Dustin Poirier after the unfortunate end to their trilogy fight at UFC 264 saying:
Both men have come leaps and bounds since 2013, becoming champions and breaking records, so a rematch between the two would be a delight to watch.
A matchup I would’ve loved to see for Holloway is Zabit Magomedshapirov. Currently, Zabit has been out of contention for over two years due to an immune system problem, which prevents him for adequately preparing for fights. Recently, the Russian has made a return to training, which was confirmed by his coach Mark Henry on Instagram a few months ago.
The UFC wouldn’t throw one of their biggest talents to their biggest star in the division on his return from a career threatening injury, so if/when Zabit returns, I’d expect him to face someone lower down the top 10 rankings rather than someone like Holloway or Yair Rodriguez, even though they are dream fights for MMA fans.
I think the most realistic choice is a trilogy fight with Volkanovski for the title. There’s no one else to fight Volk at 145lbs unless, Yair is given an opportunity at the belt after his brilliant showing last week. However, to me the most realistic fight for him would be Brian Ortega after his loss to Volkanovski at UFC 266.
There aren’t many options for Max Holloway as of now, as everyone seems to have their sights set on other people right now, but Max will fight anyone, anywhere. So I’m sure he’ll find someone to go against soon.
TheWrestlingFallacy 