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Max Holloway takes accountability for his lackluster BMF title loss at UFC 326.
Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) was stifled and outgrappled in a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira (37-11 MMA, 25-11 UFC) this past May at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Fans expected better – especially with the BMF title on the line, but Oliveira chose the strategic approach of dominating Holloway on the ground, which "Blessed" had no answers for.
"To just put it plain and simple, I'm not a complainer, so I'm not going to complain," Holloway told ESPN MMA. "And at the end of the day, everybody keeps talking about, 'How you feel?' because around the BMF belt, there's a certain aura. And of course, there's a certain aura, and so many people were used to that aura with the lineage of the belt. But you can't be mad at Charles because he went out there and he just did what he thought he had to do to win.
"That doesn't line up with the belt, but it's still a fight. So at the end of the day, be mad at me because I should have stopped him, but I didn't. I had my opportunities to go in there and fight my fight. I didn't. He went out there, he fought a different fight. Of course, in my mind too, when I think of BMF, I think of certain fights, and that wasn't the fight we got. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. The guy still got a win, and it is what it is."
Holloway didn't suffer too many consequences from the loss. In fact, he landed his long-desired rematch with the returning Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 329 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). Oliveira is yet to be booked for a fight.
"It proves a point: In the UFC, it's not even (about) winning in this sport," Holloway said. "Winning is great, winning is awesome, but how many times do we see guys winning, and they don't get certain opportunities? You've got to win in this sport, but you've got to win excitingly. We are in the entertainment business. So at the end of the day, it is what it is."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Max Holloway puts blame on himself for Charles Oliveira loss: 'Be mad at me'
Continue reading...
Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) was stifled and outgrappled in a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira (37-11 MMA, 25-11 UFC) this past May at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Fans expected better – especially with the BMF title on the line, but Oliveira chose the strategic approach of dominating Holloway on the ground, which "Blessed" had no answers for.
"To just put it plain and simple, I'm not a complainer, so I'm not going to complain," Holloway told ESPN MMA. "And at the end of the day, everybody keeps talking about, 'How you feel?' because around the BMF belt, there's a certain aura. And of course, there's a certain aura, and so many people were used to that aura with the lineage of the belt. But you can't be mad at Charles because he went out there and he just did what he thought he had to do to win.
"That doesn't line up with the belt, but it's still a fight. So at the end of the day, be mad at me because I should have stopped him, but I didn't. I had my opportunities to go in there and fight my fight. I didn't. He went out there, he fought a different fight. Of course, in my mind too, when I think of BMF, I think of certain fights, and that wasn't the fight we got. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. The guy still got a win, and it is what it is."
Holloway didn't suffer too many consequences from the loss. In fact, he landed his long-desired rematch with the returning Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 329 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+). Oliveira is yet to be booked for a fight.
"It proves a point: In the UFC, it's not even (about) winning in this sport," Holloway said. "Winning is great, winning is awesome, but how many times do we see guys winning, and they don't get certain opportunities? You've got to win in this sport, but you've got to win excitingly. We are in the entertainment business. So at the end of the day, it is what it is."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Max Holloway puts blame on himself for Charles Oliveira loss: 'Be mad at me'
Continue reading...
