Max Holloway: ‘No excuses’ ahead of Justin Gaethje clash

Max Holloway has a few words for his critics ahead of his UFC 300 matchup with Justin Gaethje.

The former longtime featherweight champion will one again test the waters at 155-pounds later this month when he takes on divisional standout Gaethje, with the winner to be lauded as the UFC’s latest so-called ‘BMF’ champion.

In the past decade, the 32-year-old Hawaiian has been defeated by just two men: Alexander Volkanovski (three times) and Dustin Poirier, a bout which came five years ago to contest the UFC’s interim lightweight championship. The latter was Holloway’s sole outing at 155-pounds in the UFC, but he says that that defeat will have no bearing whatsoever on his ability to defeat the notoriously hard-nosed Gaethje in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks’ time.

“Everybody keeps on bringing up the fight with Poirier, the 155 fight,” he said on his YouTube channel, as noted by MMA Fighting. “It is what it is, I said what I said. No excuses. I just had six weeks for that camp. This came, we had 10 or more weeks. I can’t even — I don’t even remember how long we had, that’s how long we had. So, at the end of the day, I feel strong. I feel great. I can’t wait to go out there and prove [it].”

Holloway added: “You guys want to see the difference? Tune in April 13. You’re gonna see the difference.”

And ahead of what many are seeing as the jewel in the crown of the UFC’s bumper pay-per-view event scheduled for the T-Mobile Arena, Holloway says that his doubters will be silenced by his performance.

“I’m sick and tired of everybody telling me what I gotta think, how I do, putting a limit on me,” he said. “Just because you put a limit on yourself, don’t put a limit on others. You guys’ limit is sky, I’m reaching for the stars, other universes. We’re not the same.”