Max Holloway continued to live his mixed martial arts (MMA) dream this past weekend (Sat., June 3, 2017) at UFC 212, steamrolling Jose Aldo via third round technical knockout to claim the undisputed Featherweight championship that Conor McGregor had no interest in defending.
Unlike McGregor, Holloway can’t wait to defend his newly-won division crown. And he’d be thrilled to do it in front of a super proud hometown Hawaiian crowd. After watching the video of recent homecoming, as well as his triumphant return after defeating Anthony Pettis via third-round knockout to claim the interim Featherweight title back in Dec. 2016, it’s crystal clear why Holloway feels so “Blessed.”
Indeed, Holloway has called for UFC to stage an event at Aloha Stadium, the biggest venue in the state that can pack in about 50,000 rabid mixed martial arts (MMA) fans. However, White has openly admitted that he is “scared” to stage a major pay-per-view (PPV) show in an open-air stadium, particularly in an unpredictable and tropical climate such as Hawaii.
Nevertheless, with popular and talented fighters such as Holloway, Yancy Medieros, Travis Browne, Brad Tavares, Louis Smolka and, of course, B.J. Penn, among others, it seems like only a matter of time before the world’s leading MMA promotion rolls the dice and cracks the lucrative Hawaiian market.
And if UFC really wants to make a splash, it can go full-on cannonball with a rematch between one of Hawaii’s favorite MMA son’s and a certain Irish someone.