A UFC world championship training camp generally lasts from six to twelve weeks, involves a team of world-class coaches, a room full of paid sparring partners, and can cost six figures. Or, if you’re UFC featherweight champion Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway, you head to the airport.
When a scheduled title fight between interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov fell apart for the fourth time, Holloway got a call, and accepted, on less than a week’s notice. He talked about it with Hawaii’s KHON at the airport.
https://twitter.com/RobDeMelloKHON/status/980707011166838785
April Fools! Nah, I’m just joking, said Holloway, as transcribed by Peter Carroll for MMA Fighting. My manager called me. He said, ‘Tony’s hurt’ and ‘they want you and Khabib’. I was like … how do you turn down an opportunity like this? Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime and there was really only one guy was able to do it. I’m glad to be the second guy and I’m going to go out there and make history.
I’m here to fight man. I’m not a matchmaker. I’ve got business to handle at 145. But I said, when the UFC call, I’m only one call away. They called the right guy. I’m here, six days’ notice — April 7 is going to be a great night.”
‘Blessed’ summed up Nurmagomedov in a single word.
Animal, animal, Holloway replied. You know what they say, ‘to beat the best you’ve got to be the best’, and the best is Blessed, baby. I can’t wait. This guy’s one of the most feared guys, I don’t know why. We’re all fighters, we all train. He’s human, I’m human and we get to go out there and see who is better.
Nurmagomedov’s record is perfect, 25-0. Holloway, ranked #6 in the UFC’s pound for pound rankings, is on a twelve fight win streak. Between them that 37 fights in a row without a loss, a league record for a title fight.
