Is Max Holloway a BJJ Black Belt? Submissions, KOs, and Finishes of the UFC Star

A less talked about aspect of ‘Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway‘s fighting style is his grappling. Did you know that the Hawaiian has a respectable ground game and a colored belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

Max Holloway’s next fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 is one of the biggest the promotion has announced this year. The fighters are guaranteed to put on a striking clinic, but ‘The Highlight’ has a highly regarded wrestling game in his arsenal. Is Holloway’s grappling enough to handle the heat on the ground (in the unlikely event the fight goes there)?

Max Holloway has a brown belt in BJJ

Max Holloway has already proved how good of a fighter he is, but not as a BJJ practitioner, like several of his colleagues. But a little-known fact is that the former champion has spent many hours in training trying to hone his grappling skills. Hollway’s hard work paid off in 2021 when he earned the last colored BJJ belt from his instructor, Professor Rylen Lizares. ‘Blessed’ even shared a post announcing his brown belt promotion with a little message.

“A wise man once said. ‘All the time you put on the mat is one thing no one will ever be able to take away from you.’ Got an upgrade in my belt yesterday but the work ain’t done yet. Let’s goooo,” wrote Holloway. Now that we have uncovered the former champion’s grappling background, let us take a look at his UFC record, especially his submission wins and knockouts.

How well does Holloway use his ground game?

Being a world-class striker, it is no surprise that Max Holloway has several knockout wins on his record. Out of his 32 professional MMA fights so far, he has registered 11 KO/TKO finishes. This number includes some of the best fighters in UFC history, including Chan Sung Jung, Brian Ortega, José Aldo, and Anthony Pettis, just to name a few.

On the other hand, the former featherweight champion cannot claim such accolades in the grappling department. Of the 25 wins on his record, 12 came via decision. But that is not to say that Holloway has not submitted anyone.

The Hawaiian has two submissions wins to his name, both of them in the UFC, over Andre Fili and Cub Swanson. His sole submission loss is also in the UFC, and came at the hands of Dustin Poirier, on Holloway’s UFC debut.

Fortunately for Holloway, his striking has made up for his grappling in most of his fights. He has a takedown accuracy of 53% in the UFC, having landed 4 of an attempted 15 takedowns. On the flipside, ‘Blessed’ has a staggering 84% takedown defense, and keeps the fight on the feet, where he can deal the most damage.

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