Max Holloway’s days as a featherweight are over. He said farewell to the division he once ruled following his TKO loss to Ilia Topuria in October, and the callouts at lightweight have already begun to roll in.
Holloway has officially moved up to lightweight, though he’s still No. 2 in the featherweight rankings. We don’t know when Holloway will return to the Octagon, but when he does, No. 10-ranked 155-pounder Renato Moicano is waiting for him.
Moicano told MMA Fighting that he would love to fight Holloway for his BMF title to welcome him to the lightweight division.
The fight makes sense for several reasons, though there is another scrap that is even more logical.
Moicano’s persona perfectly fits the BMF vibe, so the promotion of the fight is easy. While many argue Moicano should be higher in the rankings, at No. 10, he’s in a good position to be elevated financially and professionally if he can beat Holloway.
For Holloway, who proved he can compete at or near the highest level in the lightweight division when he knocked out Justin Gaethje at 155 pounds in April at UFC 300, fighting Moicano is appropriate.
While Holloway is one of the biggest stars in the sport and currently ranked No. 5 at lightweight, he is coming off a stoppage loss. Moicano is on a four-fight win streak. Holloway may not want to look down the rankings and may instead prefer to take one of several potential rematches with legends like Charles Oliveira or Dustin Poirier, whom he has lost to twice.
Holloway defeated Oliveira in August 2015, but it was a TKO because of a shoulder injury. Neither man had much of an advantage. Oliveira suffered the injury during a grappling sequence, and the two legends have never run it back.
It’s a fight that makes a lot of sense, and unfortunately for Moicano, it’s an even better fight for Holloway at this point in his career. Holloway has earned the right to take his time, enjoy his family, and recharge before making his run at lightweight.
If Holloway can win one or two fights at lightweight, he likely positions himself to challenge for the title—no matter who the champion is. That’ll be the case even if Topuria has moved up to 155 pounds and won the championship there.
It seems unlikely we’ll see Holloway in the cage before mid-to-late spring—if not early summer. When he does return, I’d expect him to look up, not down the rankings for an opponent.
What’s Next for the UFC?
We’re still two weeks away from the next UFC event, which will be the first in 2025. UFC Vegas 101 is headlined by Mackenzie Dern’s rematch with Amanda Ribas. Dern has the opportunity to gain revenge on Ribas after she lost their first fight by unanimous decision in 2019.
Here is a look at the entire card:
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas – Strawweight
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Carlston Harris – Welterweight
- Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. César Almeida – Middleweight
- Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov – Middleweight
- Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez – Featherweight
- Punahele Soriano vs. Uroš Medić – Welterweight
- Jose Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes – Flyweight
- Marco Túlio vs. Ihor Potieria – Middleweight
- Thiago Moisés vs. Trey Ogden – Lightweight
- Andreas Gustafsson vs. Preston Parsons – Welterweight
- Ernesta Kareckaite vs. Nicolle Caliari – Flyweight
- Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Bruno Lopes – Light Heavyweight
- Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Fatima Kline – Strawweight
- Nurullo Aliev vs. Yanal Ashmouz – Lightweight
