Max Holloway Interview – Thoughts On Gaethje, Islam, McGregor & More

Max Holloway is one of the best fighters to ever grace the UFC. Regardless of how the next part of his career plays out, no one can take away his current achievements. Not only is Holloway one of the best fighters in two divisions ever, but he is also very outspoken. This made him an ideal guest for the MightyCast, a podcast hosted by former champ Demetrious Johnson.

The two decorated fighters have plenty to cover due to their vast MMA experience, and just some of the subjects they covered include former fights with the likes of Gaethje and McGregor and potential next duels versus some old and some new adversaries. Check out what Blessed had to say about his career so far and future plans.

Holloway vs. Gaethje Recap

When it comes to the Holloway vs. Gaethje fight, Holloway recalls it with joy. Blessed said: “I felt good bro, I felt good. We had to put on the right weight and I wouldn’t want to get too big. After all, I wanted to come back to 45 division after, because I really wanted to fight Ilia and make that a point, so putting the right size was there. Don’t get too big and slow. Most of my advantage is speed, so we wanted to keep the speed that we had in 45 to 55 because a lot of guys get big and slow. I got big, ate a lot, got big but felt fast. I was surprised at how OP I was in all 5  rounds. I felt like I won every round. I felt like not losing there, and I was tagging him up and, you know, to hit and not to get hit. I was able to do it, and as you said, the last 10 seconds came, and you know, if I had an opportunity to be the worst man in the world vs. Justin Gaethje and to land my shots in those ten seconds before he landed, it was a great feeling.

Why Does Max Point at the Middle at the End of His Fights?

It was more of an angry thing. If you watch the fight towards the end, I was moving and making misses, and ending the fight. And like he did this three times, holding his hands up. And I was thinking, “What are you doing?” Do you want to fight? What is going on? He said something to me, and I was like, this can’t be real life like I’m digging like from up, and this guy wasn’t fighting, and he wasn’t acting like this in the first and second round, and third time like when he was come on, I was like, brother, oh my Gosh, whatever, I will give you an opportunity. Stay here, and we’ll go. Justin is a dangerous guy; everyone’s saying he is a hard puncher. And what a scary hitter he is in the 155 division. So I was like, you know, I got hit at the top of the head in one of the exchanges and was put to but, so let’s see how hard can he hit or can he land his hits. I don’t need too much shield and movement to the side, and if this is where I die, it is where I die.

Can Anyone Take Max Down?

I like being in the fire. Like, people keep telling me that some of the best work is done inside of the pocket. I guess people haven’t watched too many of my fights. I love it there, I love it. If you want fire, I love fire, man. I love going in; I love mixing it in. I might have a reach not better than other fighters but I doubt that my T-Rex arms can’t reach him. I want the last few fights of my career to be remembered for hitting people with my T-Rex arms.

How Max Likes Kick?

I’m loving Kick. Kick is fun, and Kick is cool. I mean, like you said, it’s a community that follows you really everywhere. It is awesome. I met some friends and made some new friends, and it is just great. I love streaming. You know how it is: Interacting with fans, being able to talk with the ones that like you. Sometimes, I’m feeling it, and I put people in place. Life is good.

I love having fun and gambling responsibly. Playing with what you can’t lose is not the way. I do it for fun. I love playing slots. Slots are fun; slots are good. I like doing the gambling streams because I can actually focus and talk with the chat and be way more interactive and spinning. When we win, we win; when we lose, you know I’m sad, and everyone is trying to cheer me on. After I get back on Apex and stuff. If I play Apex I want to win. Like, I’m super competitive, so I’m in love, playing Apex for hours. If you’re into online gambling, follow Max for some advice.

What’s Next for Max Holloway?

I want to get my face on Mount Rushmore next to DJ. You have to do great things. We had that fight booked with Khabib a while back, and they called Islam Khabib 2.0. I want all the taste, all the smoke. And I want to fight that guy and edge my name in the history books. But, first things first, if a choice arises, why not fight Islam. Islam never wanted to fight me, even when I was saying I was going to 155 after fighting the guy he was supposed to fight next; he never wanted it. Recently, his tone changed. Yeah, If I could get past Topuria, he would be open to fighting me, and I was like, OK, that’s all I needed. A little crack on the door and I will squeeze in like a worm.

Blessed on Rising Kids

Brother, last year, he showed me a math problem, but then I guessed there was a new way to solve the problem, and it’s not the same way we learned. I knew the answer, but they say show your work, and the way you had to show your work was the way they asked, and I didn’t know it. I can’t do this. You need to figure this out. I’m not trying. You’re on your own in this one, like, bro, you need to figure this out. I can tell you how to do it, but there is a new way of getting there, and I was like, this makes no sense. Why are we doing this to each other? It’s so long, so hard. It’s tough bro, it is tough.

It’s funny when kids are in a new school and make some friends, and some of them don’t know that he is my son. It was like, I think, one of the days someone saw me pick him up or I was around in the area, and his friends told him Max Holloway is here, and my son was like, cool, he’s my dad. And the kid was like what? That’s the kind of guy he is. I must always tell him to look out with whom he becomes friends. Because there will be people who want to really be your friends while others will be with you for who your father is. He’s growing up, and it is an amazing time. He’s in 7th grade this year, going to be 8th. It’s insane. Life goes by fast. I got my first UFC contract when he was born.

Holloway’s First UFC Contract

I got my first UFC contract before he came into this world. I was like, I can’t remember the hour, and we had to look at his birth certificate for the time he was born. It was 3 o’clock, and at 10 a.m., I got my UFC contract. So, I was like, it was a super insane day for me. I’m always remembering it. I will never forget it.

Max vs McGregor BMF Fight in 2025

Yeah, I mean, anybody will tell you they want to fight Conor. It’s what you have to do. If you have Conor. I told people a thousand times. I got a job. We saw what he did for one guy, making him wait forever. I’m not too crazy about it, but bro, if the opportunity came, you would be dumb not to take that fight. Eventually, that can change a lot of people’s lives, and you’d be stupid not to try and take it. But teasing it for some time is wild. If it was there if we had a contract and we had a date, why not?

Anyway, many people keep talking about how I’d fight that guy; he looks dangerous, but to get down back, I think he probably knows that I was the only 144er he didn’t finish or knock down. I was probably the only fighter he took down. Like, he actually thought and took my ass down. But I hurt my ankle in that fight. If he didn’t, so much could have happened if my ankle wasn’t hurt, brother. I tell you, man, he downgraded, but if I had 20 million in the bank, the only time you’d see me is on Kick gambling.

Where to Follow Max?

I’m on X and on Instagram. My YouTube channel is nowhere near Mighty Mouse, but if you want some content, follow Max Holloway on YT. Also, Blessed is on Kick.com, where you can see some streams and have fun. Also, if anyone didn’t know, Max Holloway is an ambassador for Stake, the betting and streaming platform,where you can also place wagers on the UFC.

Holloway vs. Oliveira?

Many people believe that sooner or later, Max will have to defend his BMF title. Thus, he’s open to taking on Charles Oliveira for that title. After opening about plans to move permanently to the lightweight division, Holloway was approached by Oliveira, who stated that there’s interest in fighting Max for the BMF title. In response to him, Blessed said that fighting Oliveira would be cool, considering the shared history the two fighters have. If such an opportunity arises, I would be honored to take it, added Holloway. The two men fought way back in 2015 when Blessed took the win.

After that bout, both fighters made careers for themselves, with that win being one of Max’s 13 consecutive wins during his featherweight title run.  Nowadays, Max is planning to become a permanent mainstay in the lightweight division without any plans to move the divisions in the future. His most recent win saw him take the BMF title after a standout win against Justin Gaethje in April. As far as failures go, Holloway was defeated by Ilia Topuria in October at UFC 308.

Holloway’s Next Best Fights

While Holloway is a featherweight legend, his chances of another title fight plummeted after losing to Ilia Topuria. Yes, he might get that shot, but winning it is a long shot now. Because of this, Blessed will have to look in another direction when selecting his next opponents. When you look at his past outings, the three-loss streak against Alexander Volkanovski is doing him no favors. Also, the featherweight division favors the young fighters, and with 32 years to his name, Holloway doesn’t stand a chance against some of the young guns. Thus, the list of his next opponents is rather short.

The one thing that is going well for Holloway is that he’s holding the BMF title. Because of this, he is still a top draw for at least one big payday. The most obvious choice would be a rematch against Justin Gaethje. Both fighters find themselves in a similar situation, so a rematch appears to be a logical solution. Running it back is also logical for UFC, and we can see this draw happening.

The other two fights we have in mind are a bit less likely. An ending to a trilogy against Dustin Poirier could be on the cards, as Holloway is 0-2 against him. Another match against Volkanovski is unrealistic due to his 0-3 standing against Alexander. That leaves us with another impossible draw. If Conor McGregor decides to return at any point, he could be a top choice to fight Max Holloway. A long shot, but everything is possible. We have to wait and see.