Max Holloway may just be 26-years-old, but he’s already establishing quite the legacy for his 145-pound championship career.
“The Blessed One” holds back-to-back victories over the greatest 145-pound fighter of all time in Jose Aldo. He will follow that up by putting his title on the line against one of the biggest standout contenders the division has seen since Holloway himself, Brian Ortega.
Ortega is a finisher who has won all of his fights under the UFC banner via stoppage. In his last Octagon appearance he became the first man ever to stop Frankie Edgar when he knocked him out in the first round with a hellacious uppercut.
A win over a challenger the calibre of Ortega would certainly be a huge notch in Holloway’s belt. Speaking to Yahoo! Sports recently, Holloway claims his primary focus is leaving a lasting legacy when his fighting career is all said and done:
“It’s a legacy thing and when it’s all said and done, I want to leave a legacy in whatever way,” Holloway said. “If not, if it’s helping the division, if it’s fighting big names, I just want to be remembered as one of the greatest all-time to ever do this in the sport.
“That’s just what I want to do. I sacrifice a lot of time away from my family, away from my son and I just want to make them proud, make my family proud and my fans crowd and, you know, leave a legacy,” he added.
The Hawaiian recognizes he’s on one of the biggest cards of the year, and compared the UFC 226 event to a major blockbuster hit that comes out in the summer:
“You want to be a part of the big card,” Holloway said. “You want to be part of history. We got a match in the main event going for history. One of them trying to be the longest reigning defending heavyweight champion and one of them trying to hold two belts at the same time.
“And then, you have a big super fight. I’m not talking about the main event. I’m talking about the co-main event, too. It means a lot to me to be able to have this spot on this card. This is like the Super Bowl of the UFC, a blockbuster, a big blockbuster hit that comes out in the summer, this is it.”
What do you think a potential win over Ortega could do for Holloway’s legacy? Sound off in the comments!
