"I feel even stronger now at 155" - Max Holloway opens up about training at lightweight, addresses Dustin Poirier loss in 2019
Max Holloway is confident in his preparation for his second stint in the lightweight division.
The former featherweight champion is gearing up to square off with the reigning BMF titleholder, Justin Gaethje, in the momentous UFC 300 pay-per-view event set for April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Holloway is moving up a weight class to fight Gaethje. The last time 'Blessed' entered the 155-pound division was in 2019 at UFC 236 for the interim title clash against Dustin Poirier, where, despite being the favored contender, Holloway suffered defeat via unanimous decision.
However, this time around, the 32-year-old Hawaiian finds himself as a significant betting underdog and faces scrutiny as he ventures into the lightweight division.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, 'Blessed' 'Blessed' discussed his training regimen and physical conditioning for his upcoming UFC 300 bout, affirming his confidence in his preparation:
"I always felt pretty strong for a 45er [featherweight]. I feel even stronger now at 155 [pounds], we are moving more weight around in camp... I feel more faster too. We are doing a lot more reactive stuff here, just to keep the speed up to go upto the weight class. At the end of the day I feel really strong. Super strong. I think a lot of people gonna be suprised by my strength when I go in there and show the world what’s up come April 13."
He added:
"Everybody keep bringing up the fight with Poirier at the 155 fight, and it is what it is. No excuses. I just had six weeks for that camp. This camp I had 10 or more weeks."
Check out Max Holloway's comments below:
Holloway is coming off a third-round finish of 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung at UFC Singapore last August, preceded by a unanimous decision triumph against Arnold Allen in April.
Max Holloway discusses his decision to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 300
As Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje are considered the likely contenders for championship titles in their weight divisions, many fans questioned the rationale behind their upcoming bout at UFC 300. However, 'Blessed' insists he refused to remain inactive.
During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Holloway stated:
"There’s a lot of people talking about, ‘Oh, this fight is crazy. Why are you guys doing this fight?' You wait in this sport, the sport goes by you And it goes by you quick. So all you can do is stay busy, you know? I am blessed with the opportunity to be in this situation with with Justin Gaethje."
Check out Max Holloway's comments below (5:18):