Consider an unpopular opinion. Right from Dan Hardy and Michael Bisping to Ilia Topuria himself, all unequivocally believe Max Holloway is weak at 145 lbs. But if it was this black & white, the Blessed Express wouldn’t have welcomed derailment. So what is the method to this madness where it makes sense for the Maui Sup’pa Man to stay away from lightweight?

Sure, Holloway @155 lbs has always been the go-to option. Furthermore, his 0-4 in the recent featherweight title fights has put a massive dent in his second championship run. But it still holds merit for him to reconsider. Especially when one looks closely at the stacked lightweight category.

Making a case against Max Holloway’s decision

The next time in mid-2025 when UFC’s toughest chin again enters Octagon, it will be 33 years in age and 15 years in the business. There’s no denying that cutting weight will become harder as father time casts clouds. But there is one last dance that still merits a longer stay in featherweight than a kneejerk move to lightweight.

Enter Diego Lopes. The orthodox fighter has already flirted with the idea of exchanging jabs with the king of significant strikes. Max can benefit from putting a stop to Diego’s winning run, gaining back some confidence, and then returning to lightweight with a lighter head.

Moreso, Max Holloway comes with enough experience to challenge a breakout fighter like Lopes who boasts his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stronghold. In order to prepare for him, Max might even take the wrestling route, which will further help him against the stalwarts in the lightweight division. Hence, the keyword is, this lightweight move right “after UFC 308” is not ideal. 

For at LW, a mouth-watering Dan Hooker fight awaits if Conor McGregor stays out of the equation (and who knows if the unpredictable Conor wants to run it back against Holloway in his OG division). But if not for this fight, the rest are all rematches, which might turn sour for Max if he loses. His odds against The Diamond are poor, Gaethje is known for bouncing back after a first loss against an opponent, and a possible W against Oliviera will still keep him at a two-fight distance from any title clash. Unless of course, he is aiming half-a-belt.

Khamzat Chimaev had enjoyed a trajectory to prove it works

Rewind back. Khamzat Chimaev was 112-1 in significant strikes landed v/s conceded when he faced Gilbert Burns. Note that the Brazilian was #2 in the welterweight division when he faced this monster. Credits to Gilbert, outside of the two takedowns, he did enough damage to shake Khamzat. But at the end, the hands that won were those of someone who entered as #11 and was better suited for the middleweight division. 

That experience is now serving the Chechen a plenty. Now let’s talk about the man of the hour, Ilia Topuria.

‘El Matador’ took that fight up against Jai Herbert and climbed the hill for 155. That did him good, proving that there is a divisional skill gap where in another unpopular opinion, gaining weight to fight in an upper class can be an advantage. But we will save this for when/if Ilia fights Islam Makhachev.

Coming back, the general consensus still is, cutting weight might actually prove beneficial (alleged long-term health risks aside), where Max can benefit if he uses that power to his advantage. This time, Holloway was cutting to featherweight after a healthy and well-executed bulk-up for the UFC 300 lightweight clash. He was no longer the ‘muffin top Max’ who fought Poirier at UFC 236. So the weight cut might have been more draining than before, costing him his legendary chin.

During an appearance on JRE, Justin Gaethje’s coach Trevor Wittman advised Conor McGregor to pick a weight class and stick to it. We might have the same tip for Max, except that the weight class is featherweight. With the long layoff he is taking, he has ample time to recover from the knockout and get accustomed to his body weight or tune it according to his future plans.

The debate on the science of weight cuts – Any closure?

Joe Rogan has one favorite topic outside of UFOs, UFC weight classes. Per him, the weight divisions must never carry a gap over 10 pounds. In his discussion with Israel Adesanya, he made it clear a zillionth time that UFC must reconsider its weight classes. If boxing can have as many as 17 divisions, the UFC can close some gaps.

Let’s understand: to cut the weight for weigh-in and then gain back that permissible 10% weight, is advantageous. The body mass of a biologically/naturally bigger fighter will help them carry a power advantage unless they’re fighting a real talent (where everything is in equilibrium). 

Now, that weight cut comes with its own short and long-term risks. We have all seen Travis Lutter and Ailin Perez with their legs tremoring during the weigh-in. That’s risky. But until it’s part of the rule, those sauna sessions, dehydration, and salt baths are the way to go. No wonder Lerone Murphy has respect towards “art”. 

To close off, Max Holloway even as he is aging, can still benefit from winning one more fight in the featherweight division before testing him for once and for all in lightweight. We support him either way, for he is too good to be dismissed. Cheers to ‘The Blessed One!’