If Khabib
Nurmagomedov elects to return to the Octagon for one last
fight, he figures to have plenty of suitors.
While some of the most likely potential opponents — Conor
McGregor, Dustin
Poirier, Michael
Chandler and Dan Hooker —
occupy the upcoming
UFC 257 card, Max
Holloway wouldn’t back down if given the opportunity. The
former featherweight champion returned to peak form in the
UFC on ABC 1 headliner Saturday, as he authored a
record-setting beatdown of Calvin
Kattar at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
One day prior to the event, Nurmagomedov and UFC president Dana
White met to discuss the lightweight champion’s plans. The session
wasn’t particularly revealing, but “The Eagle” did leave the
door slightly open for a comeback.
“Khabib wanted somebody to impress him, if I did impress him –
because I know the way he thinks,” Holloway said. “He wants to
fight for his legacy, he doesn’t care about money. He wants the
toughest opponents. If I got to push him over the edge, so be it.
We had one of the best press conferences ever, we just didn’t have
the fight yet.”
Holloway references UFC 223, where he agreed to replace Tony
Ferguson and face Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title bout in
April 2018. Unfortunately, Holloway withdrew when his weight cut
was deemed unsafe and Nurmagomedov went on to claim the vacant
155-pound belt with a victory against Al
Iaquinta.
The win over Kattar halted a two-bout skid for Holloway, who was
coming off a contentious split-decision loss to featherweight
champion Alexander
Volkanovski at UFC 251 this past July. Despite an 0-2 mark
against the Volkanovski, the Hawaiian has been adamant in recent
months about wanting a trilogy with the City Kickboxing standout.
In the aftermath of his latest triumph, Holloway softened that
stance somewhat.
“Volkanovski said—this is his words, not mine—he said he wants a
different fight. He don’t want a tougher fight, guys, let that sink
in. He wants a different fight,” Holloway said. “He didn’t say I
want a tougher challenge. He knows who the toughest challenge is,
he knows it’s me, so at the end of the day I’m not gonna force
someone to fight me.”
Regardless of what his next move might be, the future looks bright
for Holloway. His brilliant performance against Kattar has set him
up for another high-profile bout down the road — whether there’s a
title involved remains to be seen.
“I want legacy fights, I want big fights, I want fights like this,
we’re on ABC,” Holloway said. “I want history. So belt, no belt,
whatever it is, I want to fight. … You guys think someone is the
best fighter in the world, you guys tell me, let me know. I’ll sign
on that dotted line.”