Max Holloway didn’t get his hand raised on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, but he thinks he did enough to reclaim his title.
Holloway (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC) was edged out by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in their co-main event rematch at UFC 251 in a fight that many, including UFC president Dana White, scored in his favor.
Holloway started out strong and took Rounds 1 and 2 on all three judges’ scorecards. The remaining three rounds were all scored for Volkanvoski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) by two judges, with the third judge giving Holloway Round 5, but the end result was a win for Volkanovski, who retained his title via split decision.
It was a close fight, with the champion rallying late to score the win, but despite calls of “robbery” from some on social media, Holloway was more philosophical in his response to defeat. “Blessed” even took to Twitter to urge people to lay off the media members who suggested he hadn’t been “robbed” by the judges.
“Just landed in Vegas for another quarantine and was told some guys in the media are receiving threats for saying my fight was not a robbery. This is not ok. I appreciate everyone who wants to ride for me but that ain’t it.”
Holloway also gave a positive update, claiming that he’s nowhere near done and expressing his gratitude for being able to compete during the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Life isn’t fair. It’s even more unfair for many many other people in the world than it will ever be for me. People are unemployed right now with no end in sight and it’s not their fault.”
“It is what it was. Nothing changed for me as a fighter. We proved our point. I still have my five belts at home. I’m 28 and healthy. Blessed era continues. Bless yourself
“
Holloway suffered back-to-back losses for the first time in almost seven years. He is no stranger to the situation, though, having suffered successive defeats to Dennis Bermudez and Conor McGregor back in 2013. Holloway bounced back in style in 2014 and went on to amass a 13-fight win streak that saw him capture the UFC featherweight title.
Now the Hawaiian will look to plot another route back to the gold after his first attempt to reclaim the belt fell agonizingly short.
Max Holloway staying positive, despite split-decision UFC 251 loss: 'Blessed era continues'
