Max Holloway has suddenly found himself in the discussion about who might be the greatest featherweight in UFC history.
The Hawaiian successfully defended his 145lbs title by stopping the man who many believe still deserves that honour, Jose Aldo, in the main event of UFC 218 on Saturday night.
For the second time in five months, Aldo was finished in the 14th minute of a clash with Holloway and it could be argued that the Brazilian’s defeat this weekend was even more brutal than his TKO loss back in June in his native land.
Aldo ruled the 145lbs division for four and a half years as he defended his title on seven occasions before a Conor McGregor left hand wrestled the belt away from him in just 13 seconds.
Holloway is now the featherweight king, having put together the fifth longest winning streak in UFC history with his 12th consecutive win.
The 25-year-old has not lost since 2013, when McGregor claimed a unanimous decision over Holloway in Boston.
And while ‘The Notorious’ hasn’t fought at featherweight in two years, he was keen to offer a reminder about what happened when he shared the Octagon with Holloway.
McGregor posted the below picture of a beaten and bruised ‘Blessed’ from that fateful night in August, 2015 with the caption ‘I miss those sunglasses.’ If you look at the background of the shot, you can clearly see the Irishman enjoying his win.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcP26ExAZxr/?hl=en&taken-by=thenotoriousmma
McGregor’s immediate future remains up in the air, although UFC President Dana White has admitted that we might not see his lightweight champion until the summer.
It remains unlikely that the Dubliner would fancy a weight cut back down to 145lbs but Holloway has previously suggested that he would be open to a move up to 155lbs to avenge his most recent defeat.
In the wake of his brutal beating of Aldo on Saturday, Holloway was asked whether a rematch with McGregor would interest him and he had the below to say.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “Like I said, I’m the champion of my division and I’ve got to keep everything rolling. I’ve got to keep everything going. I’ve got a throne to defend. I’m not going on hiatus. As long as I get contenders, I’m going to fight.
“But if the UFC call me out for that reason, any reason for fighting him, I’ll gladly fight him. If the Conor fight don’t happen, it’s not on my side. I’ll tell you guys right now. It’s not on my side. It’s on their team.”
