After UFC 231 win, Max Holloway targets several lightweight superfights

After his thrilling, stoppage defeat of Brian Ortega at UFC 231, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is interested in heading up to lightweight to battle some of the division’s top stars.

Of all the dangerous fighters in the UFC lightweight division, none interest Holloway more than undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“Khabib is another undefeated fighter,” Holloway said at the UFC 231 post-fight press conference (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I got this niche, I guess. I just gave an undefeated fighter his first loss. So maybe that one might excite me the most. We were supposed to have that one. So we’ll see what happens. I don’t know. I ain’t picky. Feed me. They all can get it.”

Max Holloway is also interested in avenging his previous decision loss to Conor McGregor, which occurred years ago, when he was a fraction of the fighter he is today.

“Dana White is the boss,” Holloway said. “The boss is looking for superfights. All the UFC guys, you guys — you guys be talking about me fighting at 55 for super fights. I keep hearing the name Conor, Khabib.

“Everybody talks about the top three guys. Everybody talks about Tony. Everybody wants to see me and Conor, because we fought when I was a kid. A long time ago. Dennis beat that Max, too — Dennis Bermudez beat that Max a couple years ago. So, the top 20 featherweights in the world — 30 — would beat that Max. It is what it is.”

Shortly after his UFC 231 win, Max Holloway was actually called out by Tony Ferguson on Twitter. As he suggests in the quote above, that’s a fight he’d jump at too.

Woooooooooo!!!!! Good Job Both Fighters!! Love To See That Kind Of Entertainment!!! @BlessedMMA #ufc231 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 Enjoy The Victory, If @TeamKhabib Ducks Me Let’s Run It – Respect

— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) December 9, 2018

“We’ll see what happens,” Holloway said. “That’s a fun fight. You guys watched Embedded, somebody called me Tony. We’ve got a bone to pick.”

While Holloway is interested in taking some super fights in the UFC lightweight division, he says he’s also interested in avenging the three loses on his record — defeats to McGregor, Bermudez and Dustin Poirier.