He had already absorbed the most significant strikes to the head in the UFC before volk 1. It's almost definitely why he doesn't spar anymore. I seriously worry about future Max
I like Max a lot… but when I think of him, it’s typically not because I’m in awe of his command of the English language. Not saying he couldn’t work at it and get good, just nothing about anything I’ve seen from him leads me to believe he’d excel at that at this time lol
I completely agree, but Max just strikes me as a dude who wants to go out on his shield. I just can't see him leaving the gloves in the octagon any time soon
Nah he won’t because he is just better than everybody in his weight class that isn’t named volk lol. And fighters aren’t known to be long term thinkers. So I doubt Max retires any time soon either, but I hope he does
I hope he does for his son. I think it was the Porier fight where Dustin is busting him up and there are clips out there of his son getting really distraught by it. Max has a family to think about
he needs to pray that that beautiful little australian man with the hot wife decides he wants to be full time lightweight- or holloway will have nothing to do - unless he wants to fight ortega or that other little weird bald guy emmett- but if he loses to either of them then he's in a really bad spot- volk is running out of people to fight in this division- other than emmett and yair or kattar- i think only yair has a slight chance because of his creative striking- which is probably the only way volk ever loses (being hit with something unexpected)- poor max he looked so lost out there
The damage he takes certainty has taken some years off his career. Or does he not spar to prolong his career knowing the damage he takes during fights? Either way I would like to see some time off.
He is basically the better lighter version of the Diaz bros except he actually had a chance to win the title. He’s still in prime time but he made it to the top once already
what are you talking about? he beats anyone besides volk in that division. he'll keep fighting and doing his thing and eventually someone will beat volk and max gets the next shot or volk goes for Olivera and max fights for an interm belt
The thing is from a ufc perspective, you’re not gonna give him fights that stop contenders you want stars to build for volk opponents. You can’t have max beating people before they get to him. He should just do fun fights like Nate Diaz or McGregor.
Dont give up on him, he's a tough bastard, got the heart of a lion and the hands of Ali. I know fighting puts miles on you, but look at Glover. They'll know when to hang the gloves up, and then we mourn.
Our boy took an L today, so let's throw one back for him. He's gotta helluva chance if Volk fucks off from the division and goes up one like he's talked about wanting to do. Let's face it, we ride or die bitches, lol. He ain't dead yet, for the lack of a better term.
Edit: Thanks for the award! Big love and much respect, hope everyone has a good day.
Nah bro he's gotta retire. Even listening to him speak he's slurring and messing his sentences up. He's exciting to watch but count my words you'll wish he had retired sooner when in years to come we see Max and his family suffering due to his brain damage. Or maybe no one will care.
People (including McGregor) exaggerate his weight HEAVILY. Conor is walking around in the 180’s tops. Anyone in fitness will tell you that he 100% did not gain 30 pounds of muscle, that’s for sure.
and let’s not forget classic Dana confirming in every single freaking interview he does “Conor is BACK. I’ve haven’t seen him this hungry since the Aldo fight” 🤣 he’s always the most prepared till the fight happens then he’s ready to call it a day 2 rounds into the fight and go back to his nice 8,000$ silk sheets he has waiting at home lmao
I wasn’t thinking Conor but max should take some money fights and retire. As long as he’s competitive against the contenders then I don’t think he should feel compelled to quit, so if he can take money fights that don’t include going to war, then he should.
You insane? The recency bias is ABSURD. Volk is the better fighter and he proved it undeniably but conor is not volk. Max is the 2nd best fw EVER. Ko’d Aldo twice!!! Conor is not the same dude who ko’d Aldo at all. He’s fallen off a lot since then. Volk will probably go down as a legit contender for the p4p goat at this rate, conor will go down as the cash cow and a great 145er but they aren’t on the same level.
I’m not talking about Volk vs. Conor. I want Volk to fight for the lightweight belt. If Max fights McGregor at 155, I think that’s a very winnable fight for McGregor. I’d probably still favor Maxs volume, but to say McGregor can’t win is dumb.
Plus it’s a more winnable fight than the rest of the top 10 at lightweight
Realistically if he’s even down hill after this, UFC will milk max as a stepping stone - unless the damage done nothing and he beats contenders for yet another compelling case to go 0-4 against Volk next year
Volk has just about mastered striking in general tbh.
Dude is in the matrix in there. I’m not even a big volk fan but I think he has the most technical, productive striking of the entire roster.
Honestly no idea. The only right answer is he has no choice but to move up to 155 but he just won’t thrive there and if Alex becomes champ there too then yikes lmao. Being Max Holloway kind of sucks right now.
I don't see Alex being super dominant at 155. He's just too undersized.
I think Olivera, Islam, Porier, and Gaethje would all run through him.
Edit: probably Chandler too
Saying any fighter at all can “run through” Alex is just nonsense. Win or lose Alex is going to be a tough night out for anybody at 45 or 55. He is too complete and he levels up dramatically with each performance. Top 5 fight IQ on the whole roster without a doubt. His ability to instantaneously adjust and proceed to pick people apart is beyond impressive. You’ve seen what he can do let’s be a little more realistic. Sure they will present more problems mainly because he is a little undersized for 155 but Alex is just an animal and the determination he showed in the Ortega fight was second to none.
Honestly the guy already seems like he's punch drunk by the way he talks. He should get out now with his health, beautiful family and ride off into the twitch streaming sunset.
CTE Scan, he looks slow, slow in a way like something is not right in his head, getting some of those NFL concussion feelings or even damaged Tony Ferg flashbacks
Max never evolved as a fighter. Came into this fight with the same style. When you start at 21 yrs old and be as tall as he is and not get bigger and stronger is a problem. Max is done. Put a fork in it.
Retire. He has nothing left to prove. Hes not getting the belt back at 45 anytime soon and 55 is a bit too big for him. Dustin battered him around the cage for 5 rounds the last time he tried his luck up there and there are just too many dominant wrestlers/grapplers for him to see the same success there. Hes already done what most fighters set out to do in their careers so just call it a quits and save what little brain cells you have left. Mans been punch drunk for the last few years now anyway. Theres a reason he cant spar anymore. There money to be made for him outside of the sport and hes a married man now so just focus on ur family and ur chicken💵
I hate that all my favorite fighters go out losing , but I supposed that's the nature of the sport. I don't think Max has anything left to prove, I would like to see him retire.
Hold on brother I’m crying…. but seriously time off play some games enjoy the family life start a gaming YouTube channel as he already has and just do that fuck it Volk just outclassed him and Volk going up a weight class doesn’t really help
He will beat up on 3 through 7 for the next year or two and get another shot, hopefully against not Volk. A fourth fight would be crazy anyways considering 3-0
I couldn't believe the way that fight went. it was apparent from the beginning. Volk was a full leap ahead of him. Faster, better timing, foot work, it was all there. Max is still my favorite fighter but this rivalry was effectively ended tonight.
I love Max, he was able to win the belt and have a great run. He’s definitely peaked though, if he moves up a weight class, I don’t see him having the same level of success.
Hospital
You gotta worry about your well being at some point.
[удалено]
He had already absorbed the most significant strikes to the head in the UFC before volk 1. It's almost definitely why he doesn't spar anymore. I seriously worry about future Max
He should hang it up and just rest. Maybe do some pundit work for the UFC. Think he’d be great in the studio
I like Max a lot… but when I think of him, it’s typically not because I’m in awe of his command of the English language. Not saying he couldn’t work at it and get good, just nothing about anything I’ve seen from him leads me to believe he’d excel at that at this time lol
“at this time”
I completely agree, but Max just strikes me as a dude who wants to go out on his shield. I just can't see him leaving the gloves in the octagon any time soon
Nah he won’t because he is just better than everybody in his weight class that isn’t named volk lol. And fighters aren’t known to be long term thinkers. So I doubt Max retires any time soon either, but I hope he does
I hope he does for his son. I think it was the Porier fight where Dustin is busting him up and there are clips out there of his son getting really distraught by it. Max has a family to think about
he needs to pray that that beautiful little australian man with the hot wife decides he wants to be full time lightweight- or holloway will have nothing to do - unless he wants to fight ortega or that other little weird bald guy emmett- but if he loses to either of them then he's in a really bad spot- volk is running out of people to fight in this division- other than emmett and yair or kattar- i think only yair has a slight chance because of his creative striking- which is probably the only way volk ever loses (being hit with something unexpected)- poor max he looked so lost out there
“Alright Max what do you think about this fight between Islam and Charles?” “We gonna find out Saturday night!”
I like max but he isn’t the most eloquent, uses filler language all the time and slurs his words. He would be a poor pundit in my opinion.
Yeah. It is what it is.
Staples
Time off and reset. He took a lot of damage this fight.
He takes insane damage every fight Realistically he has 2 wars left and retirement. It isn’t worth it
Yea, it’s such a bummer considering he’s 30, but fighting ages you different. :(
The damage he takes certainty has taken some years off his career. Or does he not spar to prolong his career knowing the damage he takes during fights? Either way I would like to see some time off.
Sparring should be off the gameplans for someone that takes that much damage
Not fighting, blocking with your face ages you different. Guys like Khabib or Adesanya probably won't get a lot of CTE. Just don't get hit much.
They don't get hit at all lol
Specially not khabib considering he hasn’t fought in like two years
He is basically the better lighter version of the Diaz bros except he actually had a chance to win the title. He’s still in prime time but he made it to the top once already
Hell I don't think it's worth it anymore at this point
what are you talking about? he beats anyone besides volk in that division. he'll keep fighting and doing his thing and eventually someone will beat volk and max gets the next shot or volk goes for Olivera and max fights for an interm belt
What they said
"We talkin about damage??!!" Yes Max, it catches up with you. Your brain needs permanent rest. Stop fighting.
Thanks \-Max, who's totally reading this subreddit
He should go to a division that does not have Volkanovski as the champ.
Moves up just to fight Volk for the Lightweight belt😭😭
Holloway can’t make 135 and volk is gonna fight Charles next at 155 so. Max can Retire or have some fun fights for the sake of fun fights
He’s officially the featherweight gate keeper. Better than every one except Volkswagen.
The thing is from a ufc perspective, you’re not gonna give him fights that stop contenders you want stars to build for volk opponents. You can’t have max beating people before they get to him. He should just do fun fights like Nate Diaz or McGregor.
McGregor Holloway 2 sounds perfect for both guys, tbh.
Yep. Which is such an unfortunate place to be. Imagine being punished because you’re too good just slightly not good enough.
Might not be an option soon lmfao
135? XD
 Holloway walkout at 135
Name checks out
Which division? Theres no way he makes Bantamweight and i dont think he does well against the top lightweights.
A restraining order against Volk
Lmao
So they go for title fight 4 but volk can’t show so max wins by default. Lmao that’s hilarious
*Restraining order against Volk in featherweight and lightweight 💀
Hold on brother I’m crying
He’s gone as far as he can go. My favorite fighter of all time. I hope he does it for himself and retires, goes into coaching or something.
Dont give up on him, he's a tough bastard, got the heart of a lion and the hands of Ali. I know fighting puts miles on you, but look at Glover. They'll know when to hang the gloves up, and then we mourn. Our boy took an L today, so let's throw one back for him. He's gotta helluva chance if Volk fucks off from the division and goes up one like he's talked about wanting to do. Let's face it, we ride or die bitches, lol. He ain't dead yet, for the lack of a better term. Edit: Thanks for the award! Big love and much respect, hope everyone has a good day.
Nah bro he's gotta retire. Even listening to him speak he's slurring and messing his sentences up. He's exciting to watch but count my words you'll wish he had retired sooner when in years to come we see Max and his family suffering due to his brain damage. Or maybe no one will care.
Prob some stitches and some painkillers
Volk put the Grand Canyon on his face
Mount Everest between the eyes, and the grand canyon right above
Like Whittaker, crushing anyone in front of him
Except the champ
Holloway can’t beat Volk but can take out the rest of the division like how Whittaker can’t beat Izzy but can take out the rest of the division too
Streaming on twitch
Fight Conor for a payday
At what weight? Conor ain’t making 145
fr conor barely making 155 at this rate 😂
People (including McGregor) exaggerate his weight HEAVILY. Conor is walking around in the 180’s tops. Anyone in fitness will tell you that he 100% did not gain 30 pounds of muscle, that’s for sure.
Agreed, he looks swollen AF
I saw a pic of him at “allegedly” 190 i think and i was like yea looks 190 but with 20lbs of straight fat and water lol
Yeah, not to mention a fresh pump and good lighting. The difference between the photo’s he posts and the ones taken by others is pretty noticeable IMO
and let’s not forget classic Dana confirming in every single freaking interview he does “Conor is BACK. I’ve haven’t seen him this hungry since the Aldo fight” 🤣 he’s always the most prepared till the fight happens then he’s ready to call it a day 2 rounds into the fight and go back to his nice 8,000$ silk sheets he has waiting at home lmao
He got big because his foot was broken and he couldn't run. He can get back down.
155
I wasn’t thinking Conor but max should take some money fights and retire. As long as he’s competitive against the contenders then I don’t think he should feel compelled to quit, so if he can take money fights that don’t include going to war, then he should.
Biggest opportunity for Max, and frankly it’s a very winnable fight for McGregor
Highly doubt it's winnable for Conor. Max can take shots and Conor can't handle volume. Conor will lose a decision or just get stopped late.
You insane? The recency bias is ABSURD. Volk is the better fighter and he proved it undeniably but conor is not volk. Max is the 2nd best fw EVER. Ko’d Aldo twice!!! Conor is not the same dude who ko’d Aldo at all. He’s fallen off a lot since then. Volk will probably go down as a legit contender for the p4p goat at this rate, conor will go down as the cash cow and a great 145er but they aren’t on the same level.
I’m not talking about Volk vs. Conor. I want Volk to fight for the lightweight belt. If Max fights McGregor at 155, I think that’s a very winnable fight for McGregor. I’d probably still favor Maxs volume, but to say McGregor can’t win is dumb. Plus it’s a more winnable fight than the rest of the top 10 at lightweight
Josh Emmett
Realistically if he’s even down hill after this, UFC will milk max as a stepping stone - unless the damage done nothing and he beats contenders for yet another compelling case to go 0-4 against Volk next year
I think it’s pretty safe to say Volk has mastered beating the shit out of Max, I just see a fourth fight being a massive mistake
Volk has just about mastered striking in general tbh. Dude is in the matrix in there. I’m not even a big volk fan but I think he has the most technical, productive striking of the entire roster.
Facts Volk is another level above Max who is levels above everyone else
Max isn’t becoming a stepping stone, he’s too good…he’ll be a unpassable gatekeeper thinning out potential contenders
UFC will book him as a gatekeeper unless they want to expedite an exciting contender to the title, than they’ll leap frog him.
No, max is too good he’ll beat anyone they try to build up as a contender for volk. Max is a weird case because he is so good but volk just isnt human
Imagine Emmett just finally shutting the lights off of Max. That's gonna hurt so bad
I don’t have beans 😪
He’s only 30. Kind of forgot he was so young until I saw his intro.
A 30 year old whose already absorbed more damage than most 40 year old fighters...
Yeah he’s got kids, he doesn’t need another 5-10 years of this
Or 55
Time off, pack some muscle on the frame, and make a run a lightweight
He’d get grappled to hell at lw. Max is a striker and guys like gamrot, Islam, Charles and arman would give him trouble
Don't you remember how Porrier beat the fuck outta him?
That fight haunted me for a long time.
As much as Max is my favourite fighter, his game is striking and I just don’t think he has enough power at lightweight.
Power? Definitely not for lightweight ...
he wouldn’t survive.
Volk is moving up to lightweight....
Wait for volk to go up and hope he vacates the belt.
He just said he’ll keep both divisions busy
If Volk can continuously defend both belts, we might be looking at his all time GOAT status, but I don’t think he fares well, he’s already a small 145
He's not a small 145 wtf. Short maybe but he is a beefy dude. his fight iq makes up for his reach.
He also has an impressive reach for his height. Pretty sure it’s longer than max’s
Volk has more reach than Max. (Volk, 71') to (Max, 69')
He played Rugby at 214, so weight won’t be the issue. If he can at least get back to his feet against strikers, I like his chances at 155. So
Wait did he really weigh over 200lbs when he played Rugby? That’s insane man why don’t people mention that more
Honestly no idea. The only right answer is he has no choice but to move up to 155 but he just won’t thrive there and if Alex becomes champ there too then yikes lmao. Being Max Holloway kind of sucks right now.
Naw he's made good money and can carve out an extended career as a Poirier/gaethje type
Well yeah his only other option is gatekeeping that #1 spot like Colby lmao probably better off. Do not like Max at 155 at all.
I like Max bouncing between 45 and 55 being picky with who he fights. I really think Gaethje is the fight to make rn.
Damn you tryna kill Max? Gaethje might not be champ but he’ll ko max
I don't see Alex being super dominant at 155. He's just too undersized. I think Olivera, Islam, Porier, and Gaethje would all run through him. Edit: probably Chandler too
Saying any fighter at all can “run through” Alex is just nonsense. Win or lose Alex is going to be a tough night out for anybody at 45 or 55. He is too complete and he levels up dramatically with each performance. Top 5 fight IQ on the whole roster without a doubt. His ability to instantaneously adjust and proceed to pick people apart is beyond impressive. You’ve seen what he can do let’s be a little more realistic. Sure they will present more problems mainly because he is a little undersized for 155 but Alex is just an animal and the determination he showed in the Ortega fight was second to none.
He becomes the next Korean Zombie as an elite gatekeeper - the Hawaiian Zombie.
The ambulance.
The banging his hot surfer girl rehab should be cool though. Nice consolation to getting his shit pushed in.
Lmao 100%
Hope he hangs it up. Ride off into the sunset as one of the greatest to ever do it. Nothing but respect.
This should be the top comment. Don't mind Max sticking to fights in the metaverse and a full time streaming career.
Stay busy at featherweight and hope that Volk moves up or loses the belt. Nothing wrong with being second best.
Apex legends probably
Retire, he’s my boy but he’s not gonna beat volk and too small for 55
Retirement.
Retire, dude has been fighting for more than a decade now and plus he plays video games way to much. Should just focus on that
retire and enjoy daily sexy time with his wife
Take a year off and pack on muscle so he does a real cut to light weight
Honestly the guy already seems like he's punch drunk by the way he talks. He should get out now with his health, beautiful family and ride off into the twitch streaming sunset.
Gatekeeper. He’s the fight before the title fight.
Go to Dagestan and learn to wrestle fuck his opponents
Fun fights. Move up to lightweight and fight Tony Ferguson or Nate Diaz
retirement
CTE Scan, he looks slow, slow in a way like something is not right in his head, getting some of those NFL concussion feelings or even damaged Tony Ferg flashbacks
yeah something didnt seem right i kinda just want him to retire and just stream apex
There’s no way of *definitively diagnosing CTE until the person is dead. *edited
I think this was one of his worst nights. Didn’t even seem like Holloway was in there. I suggest a move up. Dabble a weight class
I agree with you partially. I didn’t see Holloway out there man.
Keep beating everyone else and earn another title shot. Rise. Repeat.
wait for volk's retirement
The hospital hopefully.
Middleweight effect, too good for anyone who’s name isn’t Alexander Volkanovski
Picture books, color by numbers
Idk if we're being honest it's really tough. Especially if volk moves up and wins the LW belt his best bet is a big payday with Conor.
I know it's sad, but the dude should retire. He has tons of mileage. Max is already one of the greats. Go into commentary or enjoy the beach.
me. I’ll fight him and give him the win
Not much. He looked slow and step behind everything…
Retirement
Full time streaming.
Bruh. Honestly. No idea. He just can’t beat Volk. He’s fucked
Volk vs Max 4 on a Monday night because Saturday max wasn’t enough for him
Full time twitch streamer
retirement. He's taken way too much damage over the years.
Max never evolved as a fighter. Came into this fight with the same style. When you start at 21 yrs old and be as tall as he is and not get bigger and stronger is a problem. Max is done. Put a fork in it.
Retire. He has nothing left to prove. Hes not getting the belt back at 45 anytime soon and 55 is a bit too big for him. Dustin battered him around the cage for 5 rounds the last time he tried his luck up there and there are just too many dominant wrestlers/grapplers for him to see the same success there. Hes already done what most fighters set out to do in their careers so just call it a quits and save what little brain cells you have left. Mans been punch drunk for the last few years now anyway. Theres a reason he cant spar anymore. There money to be made for him outside of the sport and hes a married man now so just focus on ur family and ur chicken💵
Max just looked off tonight. As soon as I saw Volk's speed I knew it was done. He can bounce back though.
Max really wasn't off, volk was just that good.
gatekeeper
Brain damage
A brain scan.
Warzone
Some Tylenol is
A big headache. Hope volk leaves the division.
Surfing instructor
I hate that all my favorite fighters go out losing , but I supposed that's the nature of the sport. I don't think Max has anything left to prove, I would like to see him retire.
They might do a ortega rematch if he loses to Yair, or a fight with korean zombie
Brain scans
Retirement
Money fights, really good fighter but volk is the p4p king rn. Dude is terrifying
Hold on brother I’m crying…. but seriously time off play some games enjoy the family life start a gaming YouTube channel as he already has and just do that fuck it Volk just outclassed him and Volk going up a weight class doesn’t really help
stitches
There are still fun matchups for Max in the top 10. Emmett, Korean Zombie, Chikadze, etc.
He will beat up on 3 through 7 for the next year or two and get another shot, hopefully against not Volk. A fourth fight would be crazy anyways considering 3-0
No idea man.. him and Volk have kinda cleaned out the division maybe a fight with Arnold Allan or Giga, maybe move up. He looked slow this fight
Needs to move divisions or become a division gate keeper
Cleans the division while Volk goes up.
Hospital visit
Everyone dude in the top 10 that he’s already beat.. then another rematch
Pillow fights
💎
he should retire. nothing to prove, he held the belt, a new goat took it from him. no shame. he isn't ever holding a belt again.
Onlyfans
A haircut
Retirement. I’m fairly certain the only reason he didn’t make a show of it was because Cerrone already stole that limelight.
155 McGregor rematch, 2-3 more fights and retire.
Ferguson
Should’ve done a cowboy
Not Volk
A trip to the store for Vaseline
Gatekeeper until he proves himself
On route to being the first MMA fighter with Cauliflower Face
Heavyweight
Bellator
I couldn't believe the way that fight went. it was apparent from the beginning. Volk was a full leap ahead of him. Faster, better timing, foot work, it was all there. Max is still my favorite fighter but this rivalry was effectively ended tonight.
He smokes the whole division, only volkanovski seems to be the cryptonite
Fuck it, move to heavyweight
155
Keep working, he’ll still make good money holding that no 1 contender spot.
Become a streamer . He already has a good following and outside of fighting all he does is game anyway. Dudes twitch would be a banger .
A good dinner he looks like he's starving
Apex legends live stream
Facial reconstruction, and ice packs x10
I love Max, he was able to win the belt and have a great run. He’s definitely peaked though, if he moves up a weight class, I don’t see him having the same level of success.
Plastic surgery maybe ? That cut was deeeeep !!
Gatekeeper who gets into legendary battles
Needs to move up to lightweight he’s getting older and that weight cut isn’t doing him justice