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Max Holloway put his “Blessed Express” back on the right track Saturday night, making a stop in the heartland of America to defeat Arnold Allen by unanimous decision.
“I’m still here,” says Holloway, who was coming off a one-sided defeat last summer against Alexander Volkanovski. “You’re only as good as your last fight. Now I have this one. It felt good to jog people’s memories.”
With the victory in hand, Holloway (24–7) now has his sights set on reclaiming the featherweight title.
“I’m on the road back to the title shot,” says Holloway. “If that means I’ve got to beat a few more guys first, then I’ll go beat a few more guys.”
Allen (19–2) entered the Octagon victorious in his past dozen fights, but had yet to line up against an opponent as elite as Holloway. Though Allen’s speed and power caused problems, Holloway dictated the pace and space throughout the majority of the five rounds, and his patient approach paid dividends.
Holloway’s body kicks played a major factor in the win, and until late in the fourth and in the fifth, he was able to slide out of Allen’s range. Even when Allen was at his best, Holloway still outlanded him. This was the first time Allen entered the fifth round of a fight, and he was extremely aggressive in the final five minutes—a strategy that should have been employed much sooner.
“Arnold has such great defense accuracy,” says Holloway. “His toughness and his IQ really impressed me. I thought he was going to be a little more immature in certain situations, but he didn’t. He stayed calm and he was ready for the five rounds. I have a lot of respect for him.”
During the fight, the 31-year-old from Hawaiʻi surpassed 3,000 significant strikes, which is the most in the UFC by a wide margin—trailing him is Frankie Edgar (1,801), as well as widened his lead for most total strikes landed.
“I didn’t realize I got over 3,000 significant strikes,” says Holloway. “That’s the goal. Hit—and not get hit.”
This bout was the main event of the UFC on the ESPN card at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. It marked Holloway’s 27th appearance, and he is now the third UFC fighter to accumulate more than seven hours in the Octagon.
While Holloway did not look like his customary dominant self, that can be attributed to Allen, who lands with immense power. This was a competitive bout, and Allen refused to go away despite falling behind in significant strikes, which ended in Holloway’s favor, 147–76.
Yet Holloway remains a puzzle that few can solve. He landed a spinning elbow in the fifth that Allen ate, and he was marvelous in the manner in which he controlled the rhythm of the fight, which marks his third win in his past four fights.
“Me and my striking coach are big fans of [Vasiliy] Lomachenko,” says Holloway. “The way he moves. We love Roy Jones Jr., too. They set an incredible standard.”
Had Allen won the fight, he would have been on a short list of candidates for a title shot. Holloway has already lost three times to Volkanovski, yet he has not lost a featherweight bout to any other opponent since Conor McGregor defeated him in 2013. His future is largely dependent on whether Volkanovski moves to lightweight following his title unification bout against interim champ Yair Rodríguez in July.
“I know there is a fight in July, and I’ll be watching,” says Holloway. “I’ll speak with my agent, with Hunter [Campbell] and Dana [White], and we’ll see what happens.”
Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic on collision course for MSG
Jon Jones won’t be fighting Stipe Miocic this July in Las Vegas. Instead, it appears the fight is on pace to take place in the fall at Madison Square Garden.
For all of Jones’s accomplishments and accolades, he has yet to compete at MSG. Neither has Miocic. And the stakes would suit the venue.
How cool would it be to spend my retirement fight dominating the greatest heavyweight of all time, in my home state at Madison Square Garden?
— BONY (@JonnyBones) April 16, 2023
If Miocic wins, that will start his third reign as UFC heavyweight champion. That would also mean someone will have finally defeated Jones, the sport’s most dominant, unbeatable force. But if Jones can beat Miocic, it will further cement his argument as the greatest of all time.
Forget my East Coast bias for a moment. As exciting as this would have been this summer in Vegas, there is no better place to hold the fight than MSG.
Shane Burgos loses debut—but still adds a lot to the PFL
Shane Burgos ran into a buzz saw in his PFL debut, losing last Friday to Olivier Aubin-Mercier.
The win marks the seventh in a row for Aubin-Mercier, who is the reigning PFL Lightweight Tournament champion. He took advantage of Burgos’s layoff and takedown defense, and his grappling presented significant problems for a striker like Burgos.
Despite the loss, Burgos remains a strong acquisition for the PFL. The promotion needs to prove it can consistently sign top-tier fighters, and it is not the worst look when they do not immediately dominate the roster.
The PFL needs to keep strengthening its roster, and fighters like Burgos add depth. And he will still be a factor in the lightweight division, even if last Friday was Aubin-Mercier’s night.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
