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Max Holloway recently consoled an upset MMA fan following his knockout defeat to the reigning featherweight champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 308. Holloway's loss on Oct. 26 has sent ripples through the MMA world. Many felt sad about what happened to Holloway, seemingly more than the former UFC featherweight champ himself.
Holloway posted a video on his Instagram account showing him catching some waves. He thanked Kelly Slater and the team at Surf Abu Dhabi in the caption. An Instagram user named @_lucky_lucci commented on the BMF champion's post stating:
"I teared up when u lost. S**t broke my heart"
Holloway responded to the despondent fan by writing:
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"Just part of life man! There would be no rainbow without the rain! We coming back"
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Check out the video posted by Max Holloway below:
Reason why Max Holloway's loss means so much to his fans
Max Holloway getting knocked out was a sad moment for many MMA fans not only because he is one of the most beloved mixed martial artists of all time, but also because it was the first time he was finished by strikes in the octagon.
The 32-year-old was coming off one of the most iconic performances in MMA history. The fact that Holloway's 2024 campaign showed such a duality of extreme outcomes that can exist in the sport may have also been a difficult thing for some of his fans to process.
'Blessed' scored a buzzer-beater knockout in April during a fight he was winning against a former interim champion from a division higher than his usual weight class. Holloway's UFC 300 finish of then-BMF champion Justin Gaethje is seen by some as one of the most exciting stoppages ever, with the faceplanting knockout from an overhand right destined to be hailed for generations.
To fall victim to a left hook and subsequent grounded strikes just a few months later showcases the sometimes glorious and sometimes cruel outcomes the sport can deal out to its combatants. The native of Hawaii is now 0-3 in attempts to claim the 145-pound belt since losing it to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 245.
Check out the octagon interviews for the UFC 245 main event below:
