There has been plenty of speculation on what Max Holloway’s next move will be following his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. And now, Holloway has revealed his decision — and it’s speculation that most expected.
In a new video on his YouTube channel, the former 145-pound kingpin officially confirmed his decision to move up to lightweight.
“155 (pounds) here we come, and 155 is where I want to stay,” Holloway said. “This is a new chapter. This is where we start. This is where we begin. I cannot wait.”
Max Holloway Announces Move To Lightweight, Doubts He’ll Compete At Featherweight Ever Again
While Holloway’s boxing was on full display in his bout with Topuria, the champ’s aggressiveness and power led him to become the first fighter to knock “Blessed” out. The Hawaiian is neither holding any negative feelings nor making excuses, knowing how long he’s been at the top at 145 pounds.
It was Holloway’s third unsuccessful challenge to regain the featherweight strap after already losing twice in rematches with the man who snatched the belt from him at UFC 245 in 2019, Alexander Volkanovski.
Volkanovski and Topuria are the only fighters to have beaten Holloway since his long featherweight winning streak that ran between 2013 and 2019. However, with Holloway likely far from another featherweight title shot, the logical choice is to move up.
“I can honestly look you guys in the eye and tell you guys, I’m probably not ever going back to ’45,” Holloway said. “I love what I did. I did what I did. I did what I had to do there. I worked my way back, I clawed my back to the championship fight multiple times there. I was a champion. I defended at that weight.
“Now it’s time to move on to the next chapter, and (at) 155 there’s a bunch of fun fights that I cannot wait to take.”
Holloway’s decision now opens up a variety of potential options for opponents, including Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler, Dan Hooker and champion Islam Makhachev. Rematches with Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier — who is expected to retire after one or two more fights in 2025 — are in the mix as well.
“Blessed” has fought twice at lightweight previously, losing to Poirier in an interim title match at UFC 236 and famously defeating Gaethje for the BMF title at UFC 300 earlier this year.
