Max Holloway Begged To Be On Same Card As McGregor

Rising 23 year old Hawaiian Max “Blessed” Holloway is currently one of the hottest fighters in the UFC featherweight division, winning his last seven bouts with six coming by way of stoppage. Holloway currently sits at No. 5 in the 145-pound rankings, and is gearing up for his next test.

“Blessed” is set to meet No. 8-ranked Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens at December 12’s stacked UFC 194 from Las Vegas, and this fight feels a bit different to Holloway. As it turns out, “Blessed” was actually one of Stephens’ main training partners a few years back, and the two are actually friends.

However, at the end of the day Holloway understands that fighting is a business and he must provide for his family no matter who his opponent may be:

“Before I got in the UFC, when Jeremy was booked with (Anthony) Pettis, he flew me out for six weeks, and I lived with him,” Holloway told MMAjunkie. “I lived with him and trained with him. I was his main training partner for that fight. It’s kind of crazy.

“It sucks fighting a friend, but after that training stuff, we kept in contact, but we never really trained again. It is what it is. It’s business. He has a family, and I have a family. We can go back to being buddies after. For 15 minutes, it’s time to fight. He’s not one of the guys I wake up every day and see at my gym.”

Despite having trained together, Holloway doesn’t look into the past, noting that me must evaluate the fighter Stephens is today. That being said, “Blessed” will definitely be cautious of “Lil Heathen’s” brutal power:

“What happened then is two different guys; I was really just a kid,” Holloway said. “I think I was like 18 or 19 at the time. I was 19. It’s two different guys. He’s different from then, and I’m different from then. It is what it is. I don’t try to look back at the past at all. People get all gung-ho about the past, and the future starts slipping away. I’m just focused on this fight, and I got to go do my homework on him.

“You watch Jeremy, man, his last fight – his power is scary. His power is very scary. I’ve got to respect the guy and give him my full attention. … That’s what you got to do.”

After his last fight, a TKO due to injury victory over Charles Oliveira, Holloway called out former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Obviously he did not get his wish, but the Hawaiian is pleased with where he has landed.

UFC 194 is being headlined by the long-awaited, and highly-anticipated featherweight title fight between reigning king Jose Aldo and interim champ Conor McGregor, who handed Holloway his last lost. Knowing this, “Blessed” actually begged to be on the card, and hopes to be in the running for the next shot at gold:

“UFC has a master plan,” Holloway said. “Everyone is telling me, ‘You should be fighting these guys for a title shot.’ Conor didn’t fight none of them before he got his title shot. He had to fight Chad, of course, but that was due to an injury. UFC can do whatever the hell they want. It’s the UFC. I don’t care about this ranking system; I don’t care about anything. All that matters is the next one, and I got one coming up Dec. 12 against a very game opponent and a guy I know very well, Jeremy Stephens. I can’t wait for that and I’m excited.

” … I begged my manager, we begged (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby to get me on this card with Conor so we could be on the same schedule. First things first, I got Jeremy Stephens, and that’s what I need to focus. That has my focus, but if Aldo so happens to win, who knows. I might get the next shot; I might not. But why not? Let’s give Aldo some new faces. He already fought everybody in front of me.”

If indeed victorious at UFC 194, what should be next for Holloway?