Max Holloway confirms plans for HUGE summer UFC return in title fight rematch
Former featherweight champion, Max Holloway appears to be all ears to a symbolic BMF title rematch with former lightweight titleholder, Charles Oliveira — suggesting he and the Brazilian megastar share the Octagon again as soon as this summer during International Fight Week.
Holloway, a former undisputed featherweight champion, has been out of action since last October, most recently headlining UFC 308.
And suffering his first-ever professional mixed martial arts knockout loss, Hawaiian fan-favorite, Holloway was stopped in the third round by unbeaten featherweight kingpin, Ilia Topuria in Abu Dhabi with a brutal stoppage loss in the pair’s title rematch.
Following the pairing, Holloway — who has featured twice at the lightweight limit — the last time in which he would symbolic BMF spoils with a buzzer-beating KO win over Justin Gaethje, confirmed plans to make a return to 155lbs next.
“I’m done with 145,” Max Holloway said in a video posted on his official YouTube channel. “Your boy is only getting older. I turn 33 (in December). No excuses, this cut was easy, bro. Shout out to (nutritionist) Tyler Minton, shout out to my wife, they helped make this cut really easy, but it takes a toll cutting weight, period, at whatever weight you are.”
“…I’m probably not ever going back to ’45,” Max Holloway explained. “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 up 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 155, there’s a bunch of fun fights that I cannot wait to take.”
And this week, former lightweight kingpin, Oliveira welcomed the chance to take on Holloway in a rematch of their forgettable main event clash in Saskatoon back in 2014, suggesting the duo feature against each other for BMF spoils.
“If he (Islam Makhachev) only wants to fight in October, I definitely want to fight before that,” Charles Oliveira told UFC Brasil. So, why not challenge Max Holloway for the BMF belt?
“We met before, but I suffered an injury right in the beginning, so there wasn’t an actual fight,” Charles Oliveira continued. “I think we deserve to make this fight happen.”
Max Holloway welcomes IFW rematch clash with Charles Oliveira
And replying to the Sao Paulo finisher’s comments, Holloway suggested they fight as soon as International Fight Week later this summer.
“International Fight Week?” Max Holloway replied to Charles Oliveira.
