There was no way Max Holloway was going to turn down a chance to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 — even on short notice.
The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Sunday that Holloway, the reigning featherweight champion, would replace the injured Tony Ferguson in the new UFC 223 main event. According to UFC President Dana White, the bout will be for the “official” lightweight title, although there still has been no word of Conor McGregor being stripped.
“April Fools! Nah, I’m just joking. The news was crazy,” Holloway told Hawaiian station KHON2. “My manager called me. He told me that Tony is hurt and they want you and Khabib. So I was like, how do you turn down an opportunity like this? Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime. Really only one guy was able to do it. So glad to be the second guy and go out there and make history.”
With a win, Holloway would join McGregor as the only two fighters in UFC history to hold two championship belts at the same time. Holloway was supposed to defend his 145-pound title against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222 in March but had to withdraw from that fight due to injury.
“I’m here to fight man. I’m not a matchmaker,” Holloway said. “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.”
Holloway has great respect for Nurmagomedov, who has run roughshod over the opposition during his professional MMA career. The Dagestani grappler will enter the bout with a 25-0 record that includes nine triumphs in the Octagon.
“Animal,” Holloway said when asked to describe his opponent.
“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.”