5 reasons why Max Holloway should move to the UFC lightweight division in 2022

#4. Max Holloway has run out of fresh match-ups at 145lbs

Max Holloway has fought most of the UFC's top featherweights, including Yair Rodriguez

Max Holloway’s two losses to Alexander Volkanovski wouldn’t be such a big deal were there more fresh bouts lying in wait for ‘Blessed’ at 145lbs. If that were the case, then the Hawaiian could easily keep fighting tough opponents until there was a title opportunity for him, particularly if Volkanovski were to lose the gold to someone else.

However, the truth is that Max Holloway has almost certainly run out of fresh match-ups at 145lbs.

This should hardly come as a surprise. The Hawaiian has been competing in the UFC for almost a decade, and over that time period he’s put together an impressive amount of fights, stepping into the octagon on 25 occasions.

Max Holloway has faced the likes of Jose Aldo, Anthony Pettis, Frankie Edgar and Charles Oliveira over the years, and he’s never shied away from a challenge.

This has meant, though, that he’s already faced – and beaten – many of the UFC’s highest-ranked featherweights at this time.

‘Blessed’ has beaten Brian Ortega, Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar, all of whom currently sit in the UFC’s top ten at 145lbs.

Sure, the Hawaiian hasn’t fought rising prospects such as Arnold Allen and Giga Chikadze just yet, but the UFC may want to keep those kind of fighters away from a dangerous former champion like Holloway.

Essentially, the only big name ‘Blessed’ hasn’t fought yet at 145lbs would be Chan Sung Jung, and while that would be a cool fight to put together, there’s no doubt that there is a shortage of fresh bouts for Holloway in the division right now – meaning a move could be a better idea.

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#3. There are plenty of intriguing battles for Max Holloway at 155lbs

Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje would both make excellent opponents for Max Holloway at 155lbs

Unlike in the UFC featherweight division, there are absolutely tons of fresh, intriguing bouts for Max Holloway if he were to move to 155lbs. The UFC’s lightweight division has always been stacked with talent, and adding the Hawaiian into the mix would make it even better.

‘Blessed’ has already faced off with Dustin Poirier on two occasions – once at 145lbs and once at 155lbs – but outside of ‘The Diamond’, literally every possible fight for Holloway against the UFC’s top lightweights is intriguing.

Clashes with opponents like Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson would undoubtedly prove to be wild brawls that could test Holloway’s stellar striking game. Matches with fighters such as Islam Makhachev, Beneil Dariush and Gregor Gillespie, meanwhile, would test his grappling game as few at 145lbs could.

That isn’t even mentioning the fight at 155lbs that could prove to be one of the biggest of the Hawaiian’s UFC career – a rematch with the promotion’s biggest star, Conor McGregor.

Essentially, seeing a fighter the caliber of Max Holloway move up to 155lbs would be a breath of fresh air, and the amount of cool fights potentially on tap for him would make such a move well worth it.