Who is next for Max Holloway
After two consecutive losses to Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway is in a peculiar situation. It's been a while since Holloway has not been a part of a title fight. However, it only makes sense for Holloway to fight a title contender next before he fights for the featherweight title once again.
Both the fights between Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski were very close and could have gone either way. The fans deserve a trilogy between these two featherweight elites to know who is the better fighter. However, at the moment it's very unlikely that UFC would book another fight between Holloway and Volkanovski. So who is next for arguably the greatest featherweight of all time?
Max Holloway needs a win before he fights for the title next
UFC featherweight division is filled with some exciting talents and worthy title contenders. Fighters such as Brian Ortega, The Korean Zombie, Zabit Magomedsharipov, and Yair Rodriguez are one or two fights away from getting a shot at the title.
At the moment it seems that Brian Ortega is going to fight the Korean Zombie and Yair Rodriguez is going to fight Zabit Magomedhsaripov. Holloway is likely to take some time off after the second defeat to Alexander Volkanovski. And when he comes back he can take on the winner of Ortega vs Korean Zombie or Zabit vs Yair.
All these fights are great matchups for Max Holloway but it can be said that Volkanovski is the most difficult matchup for Max Holloway. He is shorter than Max Holloway but has a bigger reach. He is brilliant on the feet and has a few takedowns in his arsenal as well. If we look at the rest of the division, Holloway will likely have the upper hand against them.
If Zabit Magomedsharipov beats Yair Rodriguez then he is likely to get the title shot next. Although Zabit has not beaten any of the top 5 featherweight, the UFC has pushed him to #2. That's a clear indication of the fact that UFC wants big things for Zabit and a win in his next fight might earn him a title shot. Meanwhile, Holloway can fight the winner of Brian Ortega and the Korean Zombie.
If Korean Zombie wins the fight against Ortega then it would be a more compelling fight for Holloway because it's a fresh matchup.
Max Holloway is still very young and yet to reach his prime. Despite the losses to Alexander Volkanovski, it can be said that the Blessed Era is going to continue for a while.