Max Holloway kicks off UFC’s 2021 schedule with career performance, smashes multiple records
Source: Jeff Bottori
On Saturday, former Featherweight champion Max “Blessed” Holloway had a showstopping performance, breaking multiple promotion records and grabbing his 22nd win of his career.
The UFC event was hosted for the first time ever on the ABC Network. Although it was a really solid card through and through, it was the main event that still has everyone buzzing.
The No. 1 contender Holloway took on No.6 Calvin Kattar in UFC Fight Island 7’s main event. The disparagement in rankings seemed too great to overcome, but Kattar’s rising prominence after beating both Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige in 2020 gave him his own place at the table.
The matchup against Holloway seemed solid, considering they both hang their hats on boxing and the stand-up game. This is exactly what we saw on Saturday afternoon.
Not a single takedown or submission was attempted and many records were set in the striking department. Most of these records were set by the former Featherweight champion.
Holloway’s striking output is one that the UFC has never seen before. “Blessed” attempted 744 total significant strikes and landed 445, both of which are UFC records. Holloway is known for crazy output, especially setting and resetting records, but Saturday’s performance was on another level.
“I’m gonna keep coming, no breaks,” Holloway said in the post-fight press conference. “I was feeling myself tonight. I was in the right headspace. I had the time of my life in there. I’m glad I set some records, so it was a good night.”
He also grabbed the UFC record for most significant and total strikes by a fighter in his/her career, only fighter in history to go 24 fights without a knockdown, and a few others.
Holloway and Kattar combined to grab the UFC record for the most significant strikes landed in a single fight. Although Blessed was doing a majority of the work, this fight will go down as an instant classic solely based on the records set.
Somehow, the bout when the distance and we had 25 minutes of domination from Holloway. It could have easily been stopped in the fourth or early fifth rounds, but Kattar hung in there and finished as well as he could.
Former UFC double champion and now commentator Daniel Cormier, and many others, dubbed Holloway as the best Featherweight of all time. Despite losing his belt in 2020, Holloway’s dominating performance on Saturday proved that he is not past his prime and may see another title shot in the near future.
Kattar agrees that Holloway should have a chance at the strap soon.
“If you ain’t a Max Holloway fan, you’re a hater,” Kattar told Jon Anik in the post-fight interview. “Kid’s a beast. He deserves another [title] shot.”
Whether or not we will see a trilogy fight between Holloway and champion Alexander Volkanovski is in the hands of the UFC matchmakers. Unfortunately, it is a tough sell for a trilogy when one of the fighters have won the previous two outings. If Holloway’s performance said anything it is that he at least has to be in the conversation of a title shot.
There were a few other great fights on the UFC on ABC 1 card, so catch up on the results right below.
Max Holloway vs. Calvin Katter: Unanimous Dec.
Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown: Unanimous Dec.
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Li Jingliang: KO/TKO 4:25 Rd. 1
Joaquin Buckley vs. Alessio Di Chirico: KO/TKO 2:13 Rd. 1
Punahele Soriano vs. Dusko Todorovic: KO/TKO 4:48 Rd. 1