Max Holloway Roasts Fighters Who Wait For Opportunities
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway explained why he took a fight against Yair Rodriguez instead of waiting for a title fight.
Holloway is coming off arguably the best performance of his career against Calvin Kattar, as he landed a UFC record 445 strikes in his unanimous decision victory. He’s widely regarded as the greatest featherweight in UFC history despite losing back-to-back controversial decisions to Alexander Volkanovski.
Calls for a third fight with Volkanovski have run rampant since Holloway’s incredible performance against Kattar. But, to the surprise of many, Holloway was then scheduled for another fight against the always-dangerous Yair Rodriguez.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Holloway explained why he opted for a fight with Rodriguez when offered by the UFC, instead of holding out for a trilogy with Volkanovski.
Max Holloway took a Yair Rodriguez main event bout instead of waiting for a third fight with Alexander Volkanovski
“The UFC, they don’t have this tournament structure, so a lot of these guys, they’re just waiting at the elevator,” Holloway said. “You know? They’re waiting at the elevator to go to the top. And I’m not an elevator waiter. There’s no line at the stairs, so that’s where you can find me — at the stairs. This is not new for us. This is not new for us at all. For me and my team, it’s very important to not be elevator divas. I want to just get out there and keep doing the damn thing.”
“You guys can choose who the elevator divas are in this sport, Holloway continued. “But you know your boy will be at the stairs and we’ll be running up and down those bad boys.”
One of the biggest reasons that fans have gravitated towards Holloway is the fact that he has an ‘anywhere, anyone, anytime’ approach to fighting. During his reign as the featherweight champ, he was also one of the more active champions in the sport and constantly took on all comers and top contenders.
With a win over Rodriguez, there’s little doubt that Holloway will earn the next title shot against Volkanovski. It’s unclear how much longer he’ll stay at featherweight, but he’s still laser-focused on getting his belt back.
What are your thoughts on Max Holloway’s comments?
