Ahead of his upcoming fight with Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway has his sights set on becoming a champion at 155.
The way the former featherweight kingpin sees things, with a convincing win at UFC 318, he could find himself on the brink of title contention.
During an interview with Stake.com, Holloway, who is an athlete ambassador for the company, weighed in on the lightweight title picture following Ilia Topuria‘s big win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
“If I go out there, I do something spectacular and I get my hand raised, who’s to say no? … If I go out there and put on a performance, it is going to be hard to deny me. I do not think a title shot is that far off, maybe by the end of the year, or maybe mid-next year. Who knows?
“All I can do is focus on my fights and win. If you ask me, the key in this sport is to be undeniable. So, am I close to a title shot? Why not? If I go out there, do something spectacular, the rest will take care of itself.”
Holloway Chasing UFC History at 155
During International Fight Week, Ilia Topuria cemented his place in MMA history by winning gold at 155, making him just the 10th fighter in UFC history to win titles in two different divisions.
Although he vacated the featherweight title to move up and, in turn, missed out on champ-champ status, Topuria’s win etched his name in the annals of MMA history alongside all-time greats like Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes.
With his move to 155, Max Holloway hopes to join them.
In the aforementioned interview with Stake, he explained:
“I am here to get an undisputed title. I want to put my name in the history books along with the guys who held two belts in two different weight classes. And if I can get my names etched in the record books like that, then that would be amazing.
“So that is my main goal right now. At 155, we are rejuvenated, we are refocused.”
Looking at the Lightweight Title Picture Heading Into UFC 318
Leading up to next weekend’s UFC 318 card, there’s been no word from the UFC brass regarding Ilia Topuria’s first title defense.
While Arman Tsarukyan is currently sitting as the No. 1 contender on UFC.com, Dana White told members of the press following UFC 317 that Tsarukyan weighing in as the backup for the Oliveira-Topuria fight was merely a “step in the right direction” towards regaining the promotion’s trust.
You can see his comments regarding Tsarukyan at the 20:25 mark in the video below.
In the case of Justin Gaethje, Dana White laughed off comments from The Highlight’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, indicating that Gaethje could retire if he didn’t get the next crack at the title.
During the aforementioned UFC 317 post-fight press conference, he stated
“We love Justin Gaethje and Gaethje did step up [for UFC 300] and he’s been an exciting and fun fighter to have here in the UFC, but to say unless you give me a title shot otherwise I’m retiring, that’s pretty wacky.”
And last, but certainly not least, we have Paddy Pimblett, who has a longstanding feud with the newly minted champ.
While both fighters are eager to throw down, Dana White didn’t approve of Pimblett entering the Octagon for a staredown after Topuria’s win over Oliveira. Given that, and the fact that he’s currently ranked No. 10 at lightweight, the UFC may not be keen to give The Baddy the next crack at the title.
With that in mind, Holloway could find himself just one or two fights away from a title shot with a win next Saturday.
Max Holloway Hopes Statement Win Against Poirier Puts Him In Title Contention