UFC 218: Max Holloway, ‘Fighter to Watch’ tonight in Detroit

Reigning UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will face a familiar foe later tonight (Sat., Dec. 2, 2017) at UFC 218 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., when he defends his 145-pound title against legendary Brazilian Jose Aldo.

Holloway was originally scheduled to defend his title opposite former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, but “The Answer” couldn’t stay healthy. As a result, Aldo is filling in on just a few weeks notice.

Remember, this is not the first time Holloway is taking his chances inside of the Octagon opposite Aldo. The Hawaiian worked his way back from a rough start in their matchup earlier this year at UFC 212 to finish Aldo via TKO in the third round. It was just the second time Aldo has ever been finished by strikes and the second-straight title fight that “Blessed” stopped his opponent via knockout (Anthony Pettis being the other).

Luckily for fight fans, despite the fallout of Edgar, we’re going to get to see a different version of Holloway this evening in Detroit, or at least we should. In most cases, a champion isn’t considered a champion until he or she successfully defends the title. Holloway will have the opportunity to do just that in a rematch against the greatest featherweight ever and prove that his hunger to win remains the same when he isn’t chasing a UFC title, but instead trying to hold on to it.

It should also be noted that Holloway has never faced an opponent twice throughout his entire career, especially a fired-up former champion like Aldo. Speaking of Aldo, he has experience in UFC title rematches having fought both Edgar and Chad Mendes twice. Holloway will have to take this opportunity to showcase his ability to build on a previously successful gameplan and add more tricks to his arsenal because Aldo is definitely going to look like a different fighter later tonight at UFC 218.

There’s no denying the fact that we’re entering the era of Max Holloway. The proven veteran has been a staple in the 145-pound division for nearly six years, has won his last 11 Octagon appearances, and remains just 25 years of age. But that doesn’t mean “Blessed” is immune to defeat. He’s going to have to prove he can carry the torch and reign supreme over the hoards of featherweight contenders. There’s no better way to do just that than to knock off Jose Aldo twice in a row.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 218 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.