His parents were junkies, his father a tyrant. Holloway is still one of the biggest stars in the UFC. What’s his path?

Max Holloway is one of the most prominent figures and biggest stars in the UFC. He has already held the title, defended it several times and will try to regain it next year. But how did he get into combat sports and what is his life like?

Hawaii, peace, quiet, relaxation. That’s probably how everyone would imagine the life Max Holloway has led since birth. But unfortunately. The now UFC star didn’t have an easy childhood.

The Hawaiian fighter was born in Honolulu, but grew up in a small town called Waianae, which is famous for fights without gloves. Besides, he wasn’t too lucky with his parents. They were both heavy drug users.

Holloway’s mother was a big meth addict, but she managed to kick her addiction over time. His father was worse. In addition to being a drug addict, he was also “distinguished” by abusing his wife. When Max was 11, his father left the family.

The family circumstances, combined with the area in which the now almost 30-year-old fighter grew up, were a kind of harbinger of what he might do for a living. He started martial arts at the age of 15, specifically taking up kickboxing. After three days of training, he won his first amateur fight.

He had the talent, and the transition to MMA was a matter of time. At 19, he was already 4-0, and Bloody Elbow ranked him seventh among featherweights in their report. So when the UFC came calling, it wasn’t a big surprise.

Early in his career, Holloway was compared to former UFC or WEC champion Anthony Pettis. At 20 years old, he scored his debut in the world’s best organization, becoming the youngest fighter on a UFC card.

He was a replacement for Ricardo Lamas, facing now another star, Dustin Poirier. He lost the fight on a submission. But in his next fights, he showed he’s got what it takes to be a world-class fighter. He notched three wins, only to be followed by two defeats, one of them to Conor McGregor.

But after that, he was a machine. Max won 9 fights in a row, defeating even current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, making him the youngest fighter in UFC history to win 10 fights, and claiming a title fight. And against who else but Anthony Pettis, to whom he’s been compared?

The Hawaiian fighter, of course, won by KO and was able to rejoice in his championship belt. He was able to defend the title four times, twice against the legendary Jose Aldo, once against Brian Ortega and Frankie Edgar

In the spring of 2019, in between his defenses against Ortega and Edgar, an anticipated and attractive rematch with Poirier took place, Holloway seeking the interim lightweight championship. However, he didn’t win the second time either, losing the fight on points.

In December of that year, he lost his weight belt as well. He was defeated by Alexander Volkanovski after a great tactical performance. Holloway asked for a rematch and got it, but he didn’t win it either, although he showed a much better performance than in the first fight.

Since then he has won two fights, and he has taken some big risks. Instead of waiting for a title fight with Volkanovski, he took up the challenge of Yair Rodriguez and took care of quite possibly the best fight of 2021. But now the completion of the trilogy with the Australian champion will follow.

One thing is for sure, Holloway is a huge likeable guy who puts on some spectacular fights. For many people, he is a champion without the belt. In addition, he is the uncompromising record holder in the number of significant strikes, he has dealt 2842 to his opponents, the second Edgar has 1799.

Max will celebrate his 30th birthday in early December. He currently holds an excellent record of 23-6. He has a few years ahead of him and he will definitely give the fans a few more fantastic fights.

Sources: UFC, Bleacher Report, Wikipedia