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Is Max Holloway defying logic by cutting weight, or is he proving critics wrong?

For an MMA fighter, weight cutting is often more challenging than facing their toughest opponents. This isn’t just speculation—UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping once said, “It’s dangerous. It’s unhealthy and It’s not good for the fighters.” Bisping’s statement underlines a harsh reality that has led many fighters to retire early like Khabib Nurmagomedov who “almost died” owing to his weight cut before UFC 209. Or fighters moving up to a higher weight class, like Alex Pereira. However, one fighter who stands tall amidst the chaos of weight-cutting is none other than BMF titleholder Max Holloway.

‘Blessed’ is counting down the days until he gets his shot to reclaim the featherweight title from reigning champion Ilia Topuria in their upcoming five-round battle at UFC 308 this weekend. While everyone is busy making predictions about the fight, Holloway recently appeared on the podcast MightyCast with fellow avid gamer and former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson.

Known for staying dialed in when he’s not fighting, Max Holloway was asked by Johnson, “How big do you get outside of camp? Like, I’m sure—how big do you get outside of camp, and how big are you when you’re just training? Like, you’re six weeks out from the fight.” At first, the Hawaiian native chose to dodge the question, playing a guessing game.

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But after some persistence from Johnson, Max Holloway finally revealed, “They know I can be 185 to 200 lbs. Last time I checked, I was as big as Stipe Miocic, so yeah, exactly, keep wondering.” Johnson affirmed this by recalling a moment when they hung out together, saying, “You came back home from Japan, and you were a big motherf–ker.”

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Holloway’s habit of shifting between weight classes has raised concerns among his fans, and these concerns intensified when considering that he recently competed in the lightweight division and knocked out Justin Gaethje. However, he has now addressed these doubts head-on.

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Max Holloway is confident in 15-pound weight cut

Max Holloway never shies away from challengers, as demonstrated when he stepped up to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov on short notice in 2018. Although that fight was ultimately called off due to the New York State Athletic Commission stating it was unsafe for ‘Blessed’ to make the 155-pound limit in a limited timeframe, he fulfilled his desire to compete in the lightweight division with his recent run at the historic UFC 300, where he won the BMF title.

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What’s your perspective on:

Is Max Holloway defying logic by cutting weight, or is he proving critics wrong?

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Critics, however, doubted whether Holloway would return to 145lbs to face Ilia Topuria. In response to his doubters, Max Holloway stated, “I’ve never missed weight in my whole career, and I ain’t planning on starting to miss weight for this fight because this fight took a whole lot of work to get back here. People said that I shouldn’t be here, that I should have done something else, that I should focus on something else, that I’m done, that I’m past what I can do in this sport.”

What are your thoughts on Max Holloway? Do you believe he should remain in the upper weight class, as many analysts have advised, or should he continue competing in the featherweight division? Drop your opinion below.

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