In the beginning, Max Holloway made a little splash in Hawai’i, winning his first four fights in a row. A four-fight wins streak means a little more there, where everyone can fight. He got picked up by the UFC, and lost his first fight, getting tapped in the first. That could have been the end of it, but he next put on a three-fight win streak. That ended when he got split decisioned by Dennis Bermudez. Then some new guy from Ireland decisioned him.
He was 3-3 in the UFC on a two-fight losing streak. That is the record of a guy who got pulled into the UFC a little too fast. Then he won ten in a row, capped by defeating former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis for the interim featherweight belt.
Next is a title unification fight with champion Jose Aldo. Blessed wants it at UFC 208 on February 11, 2017, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. And he called for it memorably.
I want Aldo, said Holloway in the Octagon post-fight. We couldn’t find Aldo so I started calling him Waldo. Hashtag #JoseAldo, tell him to meet me in Brooklyn in February and let’s get the real one.
Let me know when you guys find him. I’ll be waiting. Hey Dana White, that’s 50 right there. This man has never been stopped before.
One part of Holloway’s wishlist he got immediately – the 50 he referenced was to an ‘of the Night’ performance bonus, and it was awarded to him not long afterward.
Holloway expanded on his remarks at the post-fight press conference.
“I said it in there in February and when everything was slowing down in the back I was thinking that I already had to give up Thanksgiving for this fight, had to give up my birthday and it’s hard to find the guy, like I said,” said Holloway, as transcribed by Damon Martin for FOX Sports. “Where’s Jose Waldo? Let me know when you find him. Team work [makes] the dream work. If more of us can look for him, we’re going to find him together. We’ll see what happens.”
“I don’t want to give up my son’s birthday and Christmas for Feb. 11 and he doesn’t show up. This guy has a knack for not showing up so we’ll see what happens. I’ve got to talk to Dana White first, I’ve got a brunch that I want to sit down and talk to him and Sean Shelby and we can talk business.”
“This is my golden ticket. That mother f***er is always getting hurt and pulling out, it might as well have been the real belt. Most true fans know the story. Conor’s coach even said I’m the best 145’er in the world and then Jose’s over here saying he wants to retire, unretire, then he gets the belt, now he has the belt, now he wants to go up a weight class instead of fight so I don’t know.
“Most true fans know the storyline and most true fans said this should have been for the real belt.”
Blessed said he is also open to a rematch with Conor McGregor. But he’s not on his knees.
“I ain’t over here begging for fights,” he said. “If [Conor McGregor] wants to fight me, he can come fight me. I ain’t going to beg. We’ve got so [many] guys on their knees begging to fight him. If he wants to fight me, he can come see me.
“If he wants to fight the best, you come fight ‘Blessed’.”
“I was looking out for Aldo, I thought he wanted to fight and this guy’s saying he’s the best in the world, come and prove it. I don’t believe in guys waiting for title shots. That means that you’re a undefined, you don’t believe that you’re the best guy in the world,” Holloway said. “I believe I’m the best guy in the world.
“If I’ve got to defend this thing 10 times before I get the undisputed that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to prove to you guys, prove to myself and prove to everyone that I’m the best mother f***er walking on two feet and you guys are all going to witness it. This is the ‘Blessed’ show now and I’m taking over.”
