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Last Saturday, Max Holloway lost to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 276 via a one-sided unanimous decision. Holloway has now lost all three fights against the current champion, putting him in an interesting position moving forward.
He could continue to compete at featherweight but will now face a very long road back to title contention as long as Alexander Volkanovski holds the belt. The UFC might also be cautious to match up Holloway with top contenders at 145 lbs given there is a lack of fresh contenders in that division.
Instead, he may opt to move up to lightweight, which would create a wealth of fun new match-ups for him. It could also mean he'd have a shorter route to the title than he would at 145 lbs. Whatever he chooses to do next, you can be sure that his loyal army of supporters will continue to back him.
Here are five fights that could be next for Max 'Blessed' Holloway:
#5. Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
The featherweight division is facing a lack of fresh title contenders. Given Max Holloway hasn't been able to win back his belt, it could now be time to give other lower-profile athletes the chance to prove they deserve a title shot. Arnold Allen seems like a prime candidate for this type of opportunity.
Allen is on an 11-fight win streak and has now broken into the top five in the division. Admittedly, matching him up with as talented a fighter as Max Holloway does risk ruining the momentum of a potential new contender. If the Brit was to win, however, the UFC could create a new star ready to fight for the belt.
On top of that, Josh Emmett is also riding a lengthy win streak and is higher in the rankings, so it wouldn't be a disaster for the UFC if Holloway won. The fight could be huge for the division and would be electric if contested in London. However, the featherweight division desperately needs fresh blood so the UFC may not risk it.
#4. Max Holloway vs. Tony Ferguson
Perhaps Max Holloway will now move up to lightweight given he could now face a long road back to the featherweight belt. If he were to do so, Tony Ferguson could be a suitable opponent for the former 145-pound champion. A former interim champion himself, Ferguson may have struggled recently but remains in the top 10.
Ferguson has now lost four in a row but he has faced elite fighters during this stretch. While he might be better served by taking a step down in level of competition, if he continues to fight big names in the sport, this fight would be ideal. Holloway moving up to face a lightweight veteran would be very interesting.
Holloway would have the opportunity to take advantage of Ferguson's poor form and get back on track in a new division. As for Ferguson, he would also get the chance to bounce back and might like his chances against a fighter who lost his only UFC bout at lightweight.
#3. Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier II
Max Holloway came up against Dustin Poirier for the interim UFC lightweight championship in April 2019. On that occasion, Poirier defeated Holloway via unanimous decision in a very entertaining back-and-forth bout. With both men coming off title fight losses, maybe now is the time to run this one back.
Poirier has been vocal about wanting to be active and take on some of the big names in the sport. Holloway remains one of the biggest names on the roster and so could be a great alternative if fights with the likes of Nate Diaz don't come to fruition.
Admittedly, this would be a tough test for Holloway if he were to move up to 155 lbs. However, Poirier is such an established star that the Hawaiian fighter may not lose too much stock with a defeat. A win would make him an immediate title contender whilst a competitive loss could still see him become a top ten lightweight.
#2. Max Holloway vs. Chang Sung Jung
Despite his loss last weekend, Max Holloway remains the number one ranked fighter at featherweight. With that being said, he would have to go on an incredible winning streak at 145 lbs to create interest in a fourth fight with the current champion.
If he doesn't move up a division, the UFC would be smart to avoid pitting Holloway against an up-and-coming contender and ruining their momentum. Instead, having him face an established star who has also been unable to claim the belt makes more sense.
Chan Sung Jung considered retirement after his last fight, which was also a one-sided loss against Alexander Volkanovski. He therefore would likely not be interested in facing smaller-name fighters to build them up. Instead, matching these two featherweight legends up allows one of them to get back on track.
#1. Max Holloway vs. Conor McGregor II
If we are looking at the biggest potential fight for Max Holloway, one option obviously stands out above the rest. There isn't a bigger fight in the world of MMA than Conor McGregor, and so you can be sure that Holloway would jump at the opportunity for a rematch.
The pair first fought all the way back in 2013 when neither man was nearly as big a star as they are today. Since then, both men have gone on to win UFC gold and become incredibly popular. It would be fascinating to see how a rematch would play out all these years later.
One potential issue with this fight is that there's the possibility that McGregor could return to the sport at welterweight, which would take this match-up off the table. However, if he does return as a lightweight, a fight against a man who just fought for a title could be very appealing to 'The Notorious'.
