Max Holloway becomes first fighter in UFC history to land 3,000 total strikes
Max Holloway achieved yet another impressive feat after he became the first fighter in UFC history to land a total of 3,000 strikes.
'Blessed' reached the milestone after bombarding Yair Rodriguez with 251 total strikes en route to a unanimous decision victory at UFC Fight Night 197. The overall count of Holloway's strikes landed currently sits at 3,056.
Every fighter in UFC history to land over 3,000 total strikes, in one picture #UFCVegas42 https://t.co/TxQwmIToSY
The Hawaiian-born star also holds the record for most significant strikes landed (2,848). Holloway's January clash against Calvin Kattar saw him connect with the most significant strikes in a single fight (445), and the most significant strikes in a single round (141).
Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) is now the first and only fighter in UFC history to land 3,000 total strikes. After #UFCVegas42, Holloway has connected a total of 3,056 strikes in the @UFC.
Max Holloway: 3056
Georges St-Pierre: 2591
Frankie Edgar: 2479
Nate Diaz: 2386
Jon Fitch: 2185
Holloway sits alongside Georges St-Pierre (2,591), Frankie Edgar (2,479), Nate Diaz (2,386) and Jon Fitch (2,185) in the pantheon of the octagon's greatest volume strikers.
Although Holloway dominated the statistics on paper, his victory over Rodriguez was anything but easy. The top featherweight contenders engaged in a back-and-forth battle that ended up earning Fight of the Night honors.
These two left it all in the Octagon ❤️
👏 @BlessedMMA & @PanteraUFC earn your FOTN honors.
[ B2YB @ToyoTires | #UFCVegas42 ] https://t.co/1wNwMGX6x5
The underdog Rodriguez pushed Holloway to the limit, cutting Holloway with a brutal elbow in the fifth round. However, the former champion held on to earn his second straight victory of 2021.
What's next for Max Holloway?
After another stellar showing, Max Holloway appears to be the favorite to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title. Holloway and Volkanovski have fought twice before, with the Australian emerging victorious in both instances.
Both fights concluded with razor-thin decisions that could've gone either way. For that reason, Holloway might get a trilogy bout despite being down 0-2 to the reigning champ.
However, Holloway appears to be undecided as to what he might do next. 'Blessed' hinted that he's entertaining a move to the lightweight division to challenge Charles Oliveira for the title or a rematch with Conor McGregor.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Holloway said:
"But, at the end of the day, UFC discussed with us a bunch of things, a bunch of possibilities. I got a win over the 155 champ in their division. I'm on a short list for Conor McGregor. Always on a shortlist for that fight. I'm the best boxer in the UFC."
Watch Max Holloway full interview below: