There’s no denying Max Holloway now. The 25-year-old Hawaiian cashed in on a prime opportunity last night (Sat., June 3, 2017) at UFC 212 from inside the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he defeated featherweight champion Jose Aldo via third-round TKO (highlights here). After capturing his 11th Octagon victory in a row, “Blessed” sent a direct message to UFC president Dana White.
“Dana White told me, we had a meeting [before the fight] and he said this is big game hunting. The bigger the game you bring in to the table, the bigger paychecks you get,” Holloway said during his post-fight interview on FOX Sports 1 (shown above). “I think Aldo, he’s a silver-backed gorilla.
“Now I want my paycheck.”
Aldo was certainly a “silver-backed gorilla.” Outside of a 13-second knockout loss to Conor McGregor in 2015, the Brazilian had never lost inside of the Octagon. Defeating Aldo on enemy soil in the fashion that he did certainly puts Holloway in a class of his own at 145-pounds.
“I don’t want money fights, I want to get paid,” Holloway explained. “Like I said, I want to defend my title. I’m going to be here for a long time and why not do it in Hawaii.”
UFC has been inching towards a debut in Hawaii for years and Holloway’s title win at UFC 212 may be the final push towards that actually happening. Of course, the champion’s work is just beginning. With top featherweight title contenders Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson on deck, Holloway will have to further sharpen his hunting skills moving forward.
For complete UFC 212 results and coverage click here.
Get the latest gear
