After a brief step up to Lightweight, Max Holloway is back at 145 lbs and couldn't be happier with his next title challenger.
The Featherweight Champion recently had his 13 fight win streak halted, losing an enthralling title fight opposite Dustin Poirier via Unanimous Decision. Now the defending champion again though, Holloway is set to defend his Featherweight crown against Frankie Edgar at UFC 240. Holloway has been booked to fight the former Lightweight Champion twice before but remains delighted at the chance for their fight to finally come to fruition.
“Third time’s the charm, I think,” Holloway told Hawaii News Now. "I can’t wait. I’m grateful. I’m finally happy that we get this Frankie fight. He’s a legend." While Holloway's praise is undisputable, Edgar wasn't the only name under consideration. Far from it in fact, with many pointing to Alexander Volkanovski as Holloway's most obvious contender. That was especially the case after Volkanovski's UFC 237 win over Jose Aldo but Holloway has his own perspective.
“The UFC was holding off for that Alex and Jose fight and I think they wanted to see something more, I don’t know. Maybe they put him in the oven to let him bake a little more for me. Look at what I had to do, you know? I had to bake in the oven for a bit. I think they had the temperature on at about 200 (degrees) or something. It is what it is. I can’t wait. If that’s the guy and that’s the date, that's the date. But first things first: We got “The Answer” and I got a bunch of questions so I can’t wait.”
Regardless of who could potentially follow Edgar as Holloway's next challenger, the champion's focus remains squarely on the fight directly in front of him. “He’s one of those guys at the end of my career, I wanna be like ‘hey, I got to fight him; I got to face him. I got to look at him across the Octagon. I’m excited for the challenge.”
Holloway fights Edgar on July 27th at UFC 240. The event's main card will air on ESPN+ PPV.
