ABU DHABI – Max Holloway is throwing his name in the top hat.
After his UFC 1 victory at ABC 1 by unanimous decision over Calvin Kattar, Holloway (22-6 MMA, 18-6 UFC) expressed interest in serving as a reserve fighter for UFC 257 pay-per-view next Saturday.
UFC lightweight contenders Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker are all ready to compete in the event – four of the five Nurmagomedov competitors (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) recently expressed potential interest in coming out of retirement to fight .
While Holloway wants to be in the discussion, UFC President Dana White, on the other hand, is less interested in the idea.
“I think he deserves to go home and take a break,” White said at the UFC post-fight press conference on ABC 1. “I respect that, but yes, we’re fine. They were covered. “
Although his boss doesn’t like the idea, Holloway insists that he will stay at “Ilha da Luta” and be ready if necessary. In MMA, unforeseen circumstances are not uncommon – and Holloway hopes to profit if it does.
“I’m here until next week. If something happens in this crazy and wild sport, don’t be surprised, man, ”said Holloway. “Tune in next week for a big pay-per-view. There are a lot of surprises going on. “
Holloway has a history with Nurmagomedov. In 2018, Holloway was briefly paired with Nurmagomedov as a short-term replacement for Tony Ferguson at UFC 223. However, Holloway was forced to give up during fight week, and the fight never materialized.
“We will see what will happen, even with Khabib, you know?” Holloway said. “Khabib is saying that he wants something that is super interesting. Maybe I pushed him a little over the edge. We had one of the best press conferences in the world, I think. We just didn’t fight. We could fill that out if he wanted to. “
If Holloway’s aspirations for a fight against Nurmagomedov hit a wall, a trilogy with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is in the cards, according to White, if the champion passes Brian Ortega in March.
Holloway and Volkanovski have already faced each other twice – with Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) winning by unanimous decision and by split decision. Holloway does not lightly accept Volkanovski’s disgust for a third encounter.
“Volkanovski said – they are his words, not mine – he said he wants a different fight. He doesn’t want a harder fight, guys, ”said Holloway. “Let it go: he wants a different fight. He did not say: ‘I want a more difficult challenge’. He knows who the most difficult challenge is. He knows it’s me. At the end of the day, I will not force anyone to fight me. I’ll be ready and do whatever it takes and just be ready. “