Advertisement

From 'gatekeeper' to contender: Max Holloway chasing history at 23

Max Holloway is truly living a blessed life.

Sure, ‘blessed’ might be the 23-year-old’s fighting moniker, but as he sits just days away from his very first headlining fight against Charles Oliveira this Sunday at UFC Fight Night in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, the nickname couldn’t be any more apt.

Just three weeks ago, the native of Waianae, Hawaii, purchased his very first home.

It’s a nice ‘starter home,’ for his wife and 3-year-old son. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom and a garage. It even has a yard for the family dog, Binx – a rarity on the island, especially for such a young family. The Holloway’s are moving on up.

“We rented for a couple years and it wasn’t fun paying someone else’s mortgage,” Holloway told Yahoo Sports. “Now, I get to do what I want. Now, if I keep training and fighting, one day I can get a bigger house and get someone to pay this mortgage,” he laughs.

The home is a welcome addition to the career arch of the burgeoning young fighter. The Holloways closed on the house three weeks before the fight with Oliveira, and moved in just one week later, so it has been a little bit hectic on the family.

The house itself is nice, yes, but it’s really a symbol of something bigger. Heading into the fight with Oliveira, Holloway is riding a six-fight win streak, and with a win, he could rightfully be on the cusp of future title glory.

Conor McGregor elbows Max Holloway on the ground during their 2013 featherweight bout. (Getty)
Conor McGregor elbows Max Holloway on the ground during their 2013 featherweight bout. (Getty)

His most recent victory came in April against Cub Swanson at UFC on FOX and it was a career-defining performance – a rousing third-round submission victory that earned Holloway a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. Defeating a top contender like Swanson took Holloway from ‘gatekeeper’ to title hopeful almost overnight.

However, things weren’t always so positive for the young scrapper.

Holloway debuted in the UFC at age 20 with only four pro fights to his credit. He served as a late replacement at UFC 143 in Las Vegas and lost via first-round submission to Dustin Poirier.

Later in 2013, after three post-Poirier victories, Holloway suffered back-to-back defeats – the final loss coming at the hands (and feet) of current UFC interim champion Conor McGregor.

“A lot of MMA writers, after a couple losses, put me down as a gatekeeper. I’m like, how am I gatekeeper? I’m only 21. I have a lot of time left in this sport.”

Holloway has used his time to improve, not only inside the cage, but outside as well. Incredibly, despite his youth, Holloway is more in tune with the realities of the fight game than even the most tenured MMA veterans.

“I always tell the younger generation coming up: it’s not a loss. In this sport you never ever get a loss, it’s always learning,” he said. “It’s only a loss if you take it as a loss. I take it as a learning experience and come back stronger.”

It doesn’t get much more ironic than a 23-year-old talking about a “younger generation.” After all, Holloway still can’t rent a car at the local airport, let alone possibly think he’s some sort of elder statesmen representing the featherweight division.

If you take a closer look, however, you realize that Holloway isn’t an elder statesman.

He’s the elder statesman.

Since debuting in 2012, Holloway has amassed 12 fights inside the vaunted Octagon – amazingly, that makes him the most-tenured fighter in the entire featherweight division.

That’s right, after Sunday, Max Holloway will have more UFC fights than Chad Mendes (11), Jose Aldo (7), and twice as much as interim champ, McGregor (6).

And get this: If Holloway wins in Saskatoon, it will be his ninth UFC victory – the most in UFC featherweight history.

“You know, I didn’t know that,” he said. “As I’ve said though, I’ll have time to enjoy all that later. This is just the beginning. I still have a lot I want to accomplish. I don’t want to be here and let off the gas pedal. I want to keep my pedal down on the floor. I can always enjoy this stuff later, right now it’s go-time.”

If Holloway manages to conquer Oliveira on Sunday – someone he refers to as a ‘savage,’ a man who ‘holds it until it breaks or you go to sleep’ – then a rematch with Conor McGregor could be on the not-too-distant horizon.

Max Holloway throws an overhand right at Will Chope during their featherweight fight. (Getty)
Max Holloway throws an overhand right at Will Chope during their featherweight fight. (Getty)

He swears that he isn’t looking past Oliveira, and that’s what he is supposed to say. He’s a professional.

However, he admits that a rematch with McGregor is something he thinks about often when he is in between assigned fights.

In their first meeting, Holloway took McGregor the distance. Despite being the only man to ever accomplish the feat, Holloway does not look back on the fight fondly.

“There’s nothing to be proud about losing to someone,” he said. “Saying that, 'Oh I went to a decision' – because at the end of the day, I lost. I am still a loser. When you look at the history books, 10 years from now, there will still be an “L” next to my name from Conor. So, it’s something I can’t really care about. When the time comes, it comes. When the UFC wants a big fight again, I’m here, I’m ready: Holloway vs. McGregor 2. But right now it’s Charles Oliveira this Saturday. And I don’t look past anyone. People have a habit of looking ahead and they forget what’s right in front of them.”

At 23, Holloway finds himself in his very first UFC main event. With a 3-year-old to look after, a young wife who will be turning 21 later this year and a freshly inked mortgage, it’s only natural to wonder if Holloway is missing out on his youth. Holloway has been fighting as a professional since he was a teen. Family birthdays and precious moments are set to the backdrop of grueling fight camps, long flights, and a handful of minutes every few months, fighting inside a UFC cage.

The pressures of a blossoming family and a “What have you done for me now” career path are a daunting task for any young man, but Holloway genuinely seems to relish the moment.

He speaks with a matter-of-fact confidence and an approach to his job that should serve as an example to everyone – not just pro fighters.

“I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything,” he said. “Everyone at a young age wants to be great but no one wants to put the sacrifice in; everyone thinks it should be handed to them. I want to work hard and make sacrifices.”

Amen to that.

- - - - - - -

Ryan McKinnell is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports Cagewriter blog. Have a tip? Email him or