"I got named after my dad's best friend" - When Max Holloway explained the origins of his rarely-used real first name

The highly-anticipated Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway showdown will transpire at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024. It'll see former UFC featherweight champion Holloway move up in weight to face reigning BMF champion Gaethje for the latter's title.

The consensus is that the Gaethje-Holloway matchup's winner could receive a shot at the undisputed UFC lightweight title later this year. Unsurprisingly, 'Blessed' has lately been in the spotlight leading up to his high-stakes fight at the tricentennial event.

While Holloway's long been a star in the UFC, an intriguing fact about the Hawaiian athlete that seemingly doesn't receive as much attention is his full name: Jerome Max Keli'i Holloway.

Heading into his first fight against Alexander Volkanovski back in Dec. 2019, then-UFC featherweight champion Holloway was asked about the same during a media scrum. A journalist questioned whether there's anyone who's allowed to call him "Jerome Max" and under what circumstances.

Holloway responded by suggesting that his grandfather's name was Jerome and that the latter disliked the name. 'Blessed' further indicated that he was then named after his father's best friend, Max. The UFC star stated:

"Anybody, anywhere, anytime, anybody can call me Jerome. Alright? Funny story: The only reason why I'm not called Jerome, Jerome Max. Some of my friends call me Jerome. But my name was supposed to be Jerome. But my grandpa heard my mom [and] dad name me Jerome. And my grandpa told them, 'I'm gonna disown this kid as a grandchild if you name him my name.'"

He added:

"'Cause his name is Jerome. He's like, 'I hate this name. So, why are you gonna give this kid the name?' I got named after my dad's best friend, Max, so that's why I've got two first names -- Jerome hyphen Max. So, you guys can call me Jerome if you like. That's cool."

Furthermore, Max Holloway was asked whether his grandfather disowned him over the Jerome name debacle. 'Blessed' smiled and said:

"No, he didn't. He's happy. He's happy that my name's Max."

Check out Holloway's comments below (1:47):

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Max Holloway's former foe tentatively picks him to defeat Justin Gaethje at UFC 300

Max Holloway's first encounter against Alexander Volkanovski in Dec. 2019 witnessed him lose the UFC featherweight title via unanimous decision. 'Blessed' lost the rematch to 'The Great' by split decision in July 2020 and their trilogy via unanimous decision in July 2022. Volkanovski, who's 3-0 against him and proven to be his nemesis, recently addressed Holloway's next fight.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Volkanovski lauded Holloway for his legendary durability and ability to thrive in firefights. The Australian MMA great implied that his Hawaiian counterpart has lately incorporated many more angles and tools into his combat arsenal. While acknowledging that the matchup against Gaethje could go either way, 'The Great' skeptically picked Holloway to win:

"I'm gonna say, for my pick, Max Holloway. That's a tricky one."

Watch Volkanovski's assessment below (19:30):