Max Holloway won’t be defending his UFC featherweight title until he’s negotiated a new contract.
Max Holloway is the new king of the UFC featherweight division, and the newly-crowned champion wants to be treated and paid as a king before signing a new contract and defending his title.
Holloway’s contract expired after he beat Jose Aldo in a featherweight title unification bout at UFC 212 — finishing ‘Scarface’ with a barrage of ground and pound in the third round — and the Hawaiian wants a ‘fair shake’ before returning to the Octagon.
“I’m just asking for a fair shake,” Holloway told Khon2 in a recent interview. “You see a lot of these guys, a lot of these other champions making what they’re making. I’m not trying to take anything away from them, but I feel like I’m one of the more exciting fighters under contract in the UFC. At the end of the day, I’m the king. I’m in my throne, you know? If you want to come see me, come see me.”
For the most part Holloway has kept quiet and let his fists do the talking, racking up 10 straight wins before finally fighting Aldo for the official 145-pound belt. But ‘Blessed’ has done more than enough to start making some fair demands and, as well as negotiating for a better contract, the 25-year-old would like to fight closer to home in his first title defense.
“My last couple of fights have been out of country,” Holloway said. “Let me come home. Let me come to the ‘ninth island’ (Las Vegas), as close as we can get to UFC Hawaii, so give me that.”
As the youngest champion on the UFC roster, Holloway ‘can’t wait’ to continue his win streak and cement his position in the history books. The #4 ranked pound-for-pound fighter isn’t concerned about who is next opponent is; he plans to beat them all.
“Now we’re just taking it one step at a time. I can’t force something. I’m not going to rush something. I’m not going to get mad over something that I have no control over,” he said. “Like I said, I can control my feelings and that’s what I am focusing on, myself. It’s only giving me more time to get better, you know? Don’t poke the bear. They’re poking at me right now, but they’re going to see on fight night, so I can’t wait. I’m only getting better.”
If Holloway’s contract is renewed in the coming weeks, the champ could end up defending his title against a Frankie Edgar or Cub Swanson at UFC 219 on Dec. 30.