Former featherweight champion Max Holloway has something special in store for UFC 308.
Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) challenges featherweight champion Ilia Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the Oct. 26 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Holloway earned his shot after scoring an iconic knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to claim the BMF title in April. He plans to put on another memorable performance vs. Topuria.
“Every fight camp, it’s me vs. me,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “I’ve got to go out there and outdo myself every fight camp, you know? Everybody thought UFC 300 was amazing. Wait until they get to see the outcome of UFC 308. It’s going to be a good one.”
In his past 21 featherweight fights, Holloway has lost only to Alexander Volkanovski. But having lost to Volkanovski three times, many ruled him out of the featherweight title picture.
Holloway rebounded from his trilogy loss to Volkanovski with wins over Arnold Allen, Chan Sung Jung, and Gaethje. In the meantime, Volkanovski was knocked out by Topuria at UFC 298 in February, which set Holloway up for another opportunity at the title – something many doubted could happen.
“I’ve been going hard over the last few years trying to regain my throne,” Holloway said. “A lot of people laughed, but we’ll see who gets the last laugh come Oct. 26.”