Max Holloway facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Max Holloway
Holloway in 2022
Born	Jerome Max Kelii Holloway (1991-12-04) December 4, 1991 (age 33) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Other names	The Pride of Hawaii Blessed
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
Division	Featherweight (2012–present) Lightweight (2010–2011, 2019, 2024-present)
Reach	69 in (175 cm)
Fighting out of	Waianae, Hawaii, U.S.
Team	Gracie Technics
Rank	Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rylan Lizares
Years active	2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	34
Wins	26
By knockout	12
By submission	2
By decision	12
Losses	8
By knockout	1
By submission	1
By decision	6

Jerome Max Kelii Holloway (born December 4, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is known for fighting in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Max is a former UFC Featherweight Champion and the current UFC ‘BMF’ Champion. As of late 2024, he is ranked high in both the UFC lightweight and featherweight divisions. He is also ranked among the top fighters in the UFC's pound-for-pound list.

Max Holloway's Early Life

Max Holloway was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He grew up in Waianae, an area famous for fist fighting. Max has Native Hawaiian and Samoan family roots. When he was about 15, in 2007, he started learning kickboxing. He won his very first amateur fight after only three days of training! Max finished high school at Waianae High School in 2010.

Max Holloway's MMA Journey

Starting His MMA Career

By the age of 19, Max Holloway had won all four of his fights. Experts noticed him as a top featherweight fighter in 2012. They compared him to famous fighters because he used many cool moves. These included flying and spinning kicks, knees, and elbows.

One big win early on was against Harris Sarimento in March 2011. Max won by a split decision. This victory earned him the lightweight championship belt for the X-1 promotion in Hawaii.

Joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship

2012: UFC Debut and First Wins

Max Holloway was the youngest fighter in the UFC when he joined. His first UFC fight was on February 4, 2012, at UFC 143. He lost this fight in the first round.

But Max quickly bounced back! He won his next fight against Pat Schilling in June 2012. He won by a unanimous decision. Holloway then defeated Justin Lawrence in August 2012 by TKO. He also beat Leonard Garcia in December 2012 by a split decision.

2013: Tough Fights and Learning

In May 2013, Max fought Dennis Bermudez at UFC 160. He lost this fight by a split decision. Many people thought Max should have won. Later, in August 2013, he faced Conor McGregor and lost by unanimous decision. These fights helped him learn and grow.

2014: Winning Streak and Bonuses

Max started 2014 strong. He beat Will Chope in January by TKO. This win earned him his first Knockout of the Night bonus. He then won against Andre Fili in April by submission.

In August, Max defeated Clay Collard by TKO. He continued his winning streak in October. He knocked out Akira Corassani in the first round. This win earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus.

2015: More Victories and Records

Max kept winning in 2015. He beat Cole Miller by unanimous decision in February. In April, he submitted Cub Swanson in the third round. This earned him another Performance of the Night bonus.

In August, Max won against Charles Oliveira by TKO. Oliveira got injured during the fight and could not continue. With this win, Max became the youngest fighter in UFC history to get 10 wins. He finished the year by beating Jeremy Stephens by unanimous decision in December.

2016: Becoming an Interim Champion

Max faced Ricardo Lamas in June 2016 and won by unanimous decision. Later that year, in December, he fought Anthony Pettis for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship. Pettis was too heavy for the fight, so only Max could win the title. Max won by TKO in the third round. He also received a Performance of the Night bonus.

2017: Unifying the Featherweight Title

On June 3, 2017, Max fought the featherweight champion José Aldo. This fight was to unify the titles. Max defeated Aldo by TKO in the third round! He became the undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion. This exciting fight also earned him his first Fight of the Night bonus.

In October 2017, Max signed a new deal with the UFC. He was supposed to fight Frankie Edgar in December. But Edgar got injured, so Max fought José Aldo again. Max won by TKO in the third round and kept his featherweight belt.

2018: Challenges and Dominance

Max was set to fight Frankie Edgar again in March 2018, but Max himself got injured.

Holloway in 2018.

In April 2018, Max stepped in to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for a different title. He took the fight with only six days' notice! However, doctors stopped him from fighting because of a difficult weight cut.

Max was then scheduled to defend his featherweight title against Brian Ortega in July. But he had to pull out due to health issues.

Finally, in December 2018, Max defended his title against Brian Ortega at UFC 231. Max won by TKO after the doctors stopped the fight in the fourth round. This amazing performance earned him both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards. He also set new records for strikes landed in a fight!

2019: Moving Up and Down in Weight

Max moved up to a heavier weight class. He fought Dustin Poirier for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship in April 2019. It was a tough fight, and Max lost by unanimous decision. This fight also earned him a Fight of the Night award.

Max then returned to featherweight. He fought Frankie Edgar in July 2019 and won by unanimous decision. He successfully defended his featherweight title for the third time.

In December 2019, Max faced Alexander Volkanovski. He lost the fight by unanimous decision, ending his time as the featherweight champion.

2020: Rematch for the Title

Max had a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship in July 2020. He lost by a split decision. Many people, including UFC President Dana White, thought Max should have won this fight.

2021: Record-Breaking Performance

In January 2021, Max Holloway fought Calvin Kattar. Max completely dominated the fight for all five rounds. He won by unanimous decision, with very wide scores from the judges. During the last round, Max even talked to the commentators while dodging Kattar's punches! He yelled, "I'm the best boxer in the UFC!" This reminded many people of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. Max set many new UFC records in this fight for the number of strikes he landed. Both fighters earned the Fight of the Night award.

Max was supposed to fight Yair Rodríguez in July 2021 but had to pull out due to an injury. He later fought Yair Rodríguez in November 2021 and won by unanimous decision. Again, both fighters earned the Fight of the Night award.

2022: Another Title Shot

Max was scheduled to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title again in March 2022. But he got injured and had to withdraw. The fight was rescheduled for July 2022 at UFC 276. Max lost this fight by unanimous decision.

2023: Back to Winning Ways

In April 2023, Max faced Arnold Allen and won by unanimous decision.

He then fought Jung Chan-sung in August 2023. Max won the fight by knockout early in the third round. This exciting match earned him another Fight of the Night award.

2024: Becoming the 'BMF' Champion

Holloway with the BMF belt

In April 2024, Max Holloway fought Justin Gaethje for the special "BMF" (Baddest Motherf***er) championship. Max won the BMF championship by knockout in the very last second of the fifth round! This tied the record for the latest knockout win in UFC history. This incredible performance earned him huge bonuses for Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night.

Max Holloway's Personal Life

Max Holloway married his girlfriend Kaimana Pa'aluhi in 2012. They have one son named Rush Holloway. They later separated in 2014 and divorced in 2017.

In early 2020, Max started dating Hawaiian professional surfer Alessa Quizon. They got married on April 16, 2022.

Max Holloway's Achievements

Max Holloway has achieved many great things in his career:

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
    • He successfully defended his title three times.
  • Interim UFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
  • UFC 'BMF' Championship (One time, Current)
  • Knockout of the Night (One time)
  • Fight of the Night (Seven times)
  • Performance of the Night (Five times)
  • He has one of the longest winning streaks in UFC history (13 wins in a row).
  • He has the most wins in UFC Featherweight division history (20).
  • He has the most knockouts in UFC Featherweight division history (9).
  • He has landed the most significant strikes in UFC history (3457).
  • He has landed the most total strikes in UFC history (3706).
  • He has the most total fight time in UFC Featherweight division history.
  • He is tied for the latest finish in UFC history (a knockout at 4:59 in Round 5).
  • He landed the most significant strikes in a single UFC fight (445 vs. Calvin Kattar).
  • He also landed the most significant strikes in a single round in UFC history (141 in Round 4 vs. Calvin Kattar).
  • He received the 2022 UFC Forrest Griffin Community Award for his community work.

• Other Awards
  • X-1 Lightweight Championship (One time)
  • 2017 Charles 'Mask' Lewis Fighter of the Year
  • 2024 Fight of the Year (vs. Justin Gaethje)
  • 2024 Knockout of the Year (vs. Justin Gaethje)
  • Sherdog 2021 Beatdown of the Year (vs. Calvin Kattar)

Mixed Martial Arts Record

See also

In Spanish: Max Holloway para niños

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists
• Ultimate Fighting Championship Pound for Pound rankings