Fearless Max Holloway Looks to Become a Legend

Just was it was nearing completion, my preview of Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov was rendered useless and departed to the Land of Lost Columns. On April Fools’ Day of all days, UFC President Dana White announced that a knee injury had forced Ferguson out of the fight, making 2018 the fourth consecutive year Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov has fallen apart in. Fortunately, UFC managed to find a suitable replacement.

Featherweight champion Max Holloway will step up and fight Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship on Saturday. A large portion of my scrapped column looked at Nurmagomedov’s quest to become the thirteenth undefeated UFC champion and the history behind that accomplishment. Although Nurmagomedov’s quest remains the same, the dominant story to the bout has changed.

There are any number of ways to put it, but to do so simply, Max Holloway is a gangster. Many fighters speak with bravado, touting their willingness to fight anyone at any time. When the opportunity presents itself, only a small portion of those fighters back up their words. Pesky things like timing, injuries, and money get in the way for force most to turn down fights, and that’s not only understandable, it’s the smartest approach. But then there are the fearless, the fighters every fan respects because they have proven they will take any fight and tackle any challenge, even when it is not the wisest career decision.

BOOM!!!!!! We got Khabib vs The Champ Max Holloway for the 155lb title this Saturday in Brooklyn New York!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/quvI3UqGXh

— Dana White (@danawhite) April 1, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov is the scariest fighter in the lightweight division. He dominated Rafael dos Anjos. He brutalized Michael Johnson while reasoning with him to quit. He received a rare 30-24 scorecard against Edson Barboza. Who scores three 10-8 rounds against a top-five opponent? Only the division’s scariest fighter.

Max Holloway has agreed to fight the scariest fighter in a weight class ten pounds above his own, six days before the fight, two months after a leg injury that forced him out of a title defense, and while being a ten-hour flight away from the site of the fight. He has leapt fearlessly into the biggest challenge of his career in which his opponent has every possible advantage in terms of size, strength, and preparation. Holloway is the rare fighter whose toughness is omnipresent, easily identifiable both in his fighting and in his decision-making.

Unfortunately, all of those factors make it seem likely that Holloway is in for a long night.

Nurmagomedov is lightweight’s best wrestler, grappler, and face-pounder from top position. He is relentless with takedowns and will put Holloway on his back. At featherweight, where Holloway has won twelve consecutive fights, Holloway hasn’t been taken down since 2014. However, one of the questions he has yet to answer is how he will perform against a top-level wrestler. We thought that question would be answered against a featherweight like Frankie Edgar or Chad Mendes, but instead it will be a trial by fire against Nurmagomedov.

On the feet, Holloway holds a significant advantage over Nurmagomedov. Although Nurmagomedov has shown improvements in this area, he’s still wild with his punches and open to counters, although he often uses those punches to move inside to initiate grappling. Holloway is crisper, has an unbelievably high output, and has shown an excellent chin at featherweight. The issue is whether Holloway can keep it there long enough to turn the fight in his favor.

One notable point is that Nurmagomedov cuts a lot of weight to hit the 155-pound mark, and he has never gone five rounds. It’s a testament to Nurmagomedov’s conditioning that he has gone fifteen hard minutes without gassing several times, but those ten extra minutes leave a looming question.

With one exception in his third pro fight, Holloway has never seen the fourth round, but he seems to have cardio for days. By Fight Metric’s count, he threw an incredible 212 strikes in the third round alone in his fight with Jose Aldo last December, and even that output didn’t look to take anything out of his tank. However, with Holloway agreeing to the fight six days out, it’s hard to expect that level of conditioning on Saturday.

If Holloway can survive the assault, turn the tables, and take out Nurmagomedov, a special place in history awaits him. Only Conor McGregor has simultaneously held two UFC titles, a feat Holloway could match on Saturday. Holloway could even one-up McGregor by actively defending the titles (or even just one of them).

It may not be as closely matched as Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov, but it’s one of the best late replacement fights you could ever hope for. Holloway has already proven his legendary gameness in and out of the cage. Toppling the undefeated Nurmagomedov on Saturday would take his legend to another level.

Dan Plunkett has covered MMA for 411Mania since 2008. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Dan_Plunkett.