"I want to be the bad guy" - Max Holloway embraces heel role to avoid trilogy heartbreak against Dustin Poirier

Max Holloway is ready to ruin Dustin Poirier's retirement party, as he recently discussed his plan against Poirier in their upcoming fight. Holloway stated that he cannot afford to lose thrice to another fighter.

Holloway is set to put his BMF title on the line against Poirier in a trilogy matchup at UFC 318. The two will headline the pay-per-view card in front of Poirier's home audience at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on July 19.

Holloway recently spoke to Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie and offered his thoughts on the highly anticipated contest. Given that he has already lost to Alexander Volkanovski three times, the 33-year-old said he doesn’t want to suffer the same fate against Poirier:

''I'm 0-3 in one trilogy. I'm not trying to be 0-3 in two trilogies. That's the main thing going through my mind. The BMF title is cool and everything, and making history is great, but the main history I ain't trying to make is be a man who fought two different trilogies and went 0-3. I'm focused on going out there and getting my hand raised...I know this is [Poirier's] last dance, but I've got to play the spoiler here. I need this one."

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Holloway added:

''If I've got to be the bad guy, I want to be the bad guy because it is his last dance, and I want to get his hand raised...Business is business. I'll be the bad guy for maybe the week, for 25 minutes, and after that it's all said and done. I'm not one of these guys who holds grudges. Whenever we get in that octagon, we solve it.''

Check out Max Holloway's comments below:

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Max Holloway is happy with Ilia Topuria's lightweight move

Max Holloway, who currently competes in the lightweight division, has an opportunity to redeem himself when he confronts new 155-pound kingpin Ilia Topuria in a potential fight. Notably, Topuria became the first fighter to knock out Holloway when the two clashed in a featherweight title fight at UFC 308 last year.

In the aforementioned conversation with Mike Bohn, Holloway said he was delighted to see Topuria move up to lightweight earlier this year:

''I was over the moon. A lot of people thought I'd be like, 'What the hell? Why is [Topuria] coming to '55?' I was over the moon when he announced he was coming to '55...I mean, we have this BMF title. I know ol' boy (Topuria) likes walking around with the BMF title, but if he wants the authentic one, he knows where to find me.''

Check out Max Holloway's comments below (16:30):

About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena