Max Holloway calls failed Khabib Nurmagomedov fight his biggest UFC regret: ‘This one hurts’

Preparing for his return at UFC 308 tomorrow, title challenger, Max Holloway has revealed his 2018 scuppered pairing with former lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov on short-notice is his one big regret during his lengthy and decorated tenure inside the Octagon.

Holloway, a former undisputed featherweight gold holder and the current symbolic BMF champion, is slated to return tomorrow in the headliner of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, UAE — tasked with handing the incumbent gold holder, Ilia Topuria his first professional mixed martial arts defeat in the pair’s heated grudge match.

Most recently featuring on the main card of UFC 300 back in April, Hawaiian star, Holloway landed the above-mentioned symbolic BMF crown with a hellacious buzzer-beating stoppage of former interim champion, Justin Gaethje with just a single second remaining in the pair’s high-profile pairing.

Max Holloway laments failed Khabib Nurmagomedov battle years ago

And discussing his UFC 308 title fight Topuria ahead of tomorrow’s matchup, Holloway claimed he regrets missing out on a short-notice title fight against the above-mentioned, Nurmagomedov back in 2018, with the New York State Athletic Commission pulling him from the card in Brooklyn over concerns about his severe weight cut on short-notice.

“Man, this one hurts. I wish we got to [fight Khabib Nurmagomedov],” Max Holloway told UFC on TNT Sports this week. “He’s considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Everybody talked about his strength, so I wanted to go in there and feel it, see what these guys are talking about, you know? It just stinks a little.”

“Things happen for a reason, and I truly believe that,” Max Holloway continued. “I mean, we didn’t get the Khabib fight, and I hate overlooking opponents or anything, but they call another man Khabib 2.0. This illustration ain’t too far off, you know? I gotta do what I gotta do. It was my fight, and we’ll see what happens, but this one hurts a lot, man.