MMA Fighting - Max Holloway Talks Impressive Win Over Calvin Kattar, Being 'the Cloud' Over Volkanovski vs. Ortega, More

Episode Date: February 24, 2021

Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway joins MMA Fighting's Mike Heck to recap his incredible performance against Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Island 7 in January, talks the importance of separating himself from the fight game, the upcoming title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega at UFC 260, what he wants next, and more. Follow Mike Heck: @MikeHeck_JR Subscribe: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to the Vox Media Podcast Network. All right, let us welcome a man who had an amazing start to 2021. In fact, there are many people out there who believe that this victory was one of the all-time, great performances in UFC history when he defeated Calvin Cater via unanimous decision last month. First UFC main event on ABC. What a phenomenal effort from the former UFC featherweight champion of the world. Max blessed Holloway, who is kind enough to join us right now. Max, how are you, man? I'm doing good, boss.

How you doing, Michael? I'm doing great. So there's there's one thing I wanted to ask you right off the bat, Max. And first off, congratulations on the win. We'll get into the fight more in a moment. But I'm kind of an awe by the way you can sort of separate yourself from Max Holloway, the fighter and go do like Max Holloway, the guy and do it so quickly because you go out there and you have this incredible performance and normally fighters sort of enjoy the limelight after a win like that. They celebrate it. You do your duties. You have your press conference after the fight. And that's right back to Max the dad, the fiance, the gamer, the guy, and you do it so effortlessly when a lot of fighters

aren't able to do that. So how have you, like, is this something you've always been able to do or is this something you learn to do along the way? I mean, you, I've been fighting this 16. I've been to UFC since I was 20. I mean, I'm nine-year, nine-year vet. I'm old as shit, man. I mean, that is creeping up on me. But now, I'll jokes aside. you got to learn how to separate it, you know? You got to learn how to separate. Life is about balance, you know, Yin and Yang, I don't know if you believe in that kind of stuff,

but life is about balance, you know, you got to be balanced. If you put in too much one thing on one side, then stuff start getting unbalanced. If you start doing it here and then start getting unbalanced, it's like, he just wants life as balanced, you know. So I try to keep my life as balance as it can be. I know I got to be a father. I know I need to be a fiancé,

especially since my fiance is always there for me whenever I need her, you know, and, and Rush, you know, Rush really needs a dad. I know how it is growing up without a dad. And then I love video games, like you said, you know, Facebook, Facebook gaming baby. Max Holloway official come through and show some love, bro. Come, come, we play Call of Duty all the time. So come to, you might be able to even play a game with me and Rush sometimes. So who knows.

Yeah, the thumbnail for that page is amazing with your face on the train and everything. It's phenomenal, Max. Excellent branding. How much do you think that's being able to separate that has helped you in your career? Because like even on this side with the media, it's hard to separate from it, right? Like you get off duty, but you don't want to have that like that fomo. You don't want to miss out on any of the big news. Like how much do you feel that's helped you being able to separate the two worlds in your fighting career?

I mean, helping a lot. I mean, like I don't. Yeah, I don't have that for more. I guess with big news or big things happening. I don't even watch fights, to be honest. But even when the news, you know, sometimes. I'm streaming or I'm texting or somebody text me. Hey, you heard this.

I was like, no, but that's cool, you know. It is. You got to get to learn how to separate it for sure, though. But I just think it comes to time, you know. It comes to a time. It comes to a point where I'm going to point on my career where I just want to focus on me. I want to focus on what I can do. I really want to get my best to my career and also to my stuff.

And then have a great life after. After fighting is all said and done, you know? So let's let's talk about the fight and sort of the buildup itself because, you know, you probably heard this and you talked about it a little bit on the build to the fight. There's this narrative heading into it that, well, Max isn't over that second fight with Alexander Volcanowski because of the judges. He might be looking past Calvin Cater, which when I spoke with Calvin ahead of the fight, he thought that might be a factor heading into January 16. Turns out that couldn't have been further from the truth. Were you

at least seeing and hearing that stuff on the build to the fight? Ah, you see and here stuff. You know, I see here all kind of stuff. I heard a bunch of people. people counting me out in the fight because of the fights. I heard people telling me I was done, this and that. I mean, I didn't bother me. I know where my focus is. I know what I did. I know all the work I did.

I know all the sacrifices I had to do. The only people I had to go out there and show what I did for was the people who sacrificed for me was my team, my family, you know, my fiancee, my son, my coaches. I took away, I took away time away from their family. So that's the only people that I really wanted to show what, what, was all about, you know? At the end of the day, it's just, it's just another fight to me. You know, I don't care. I don't care what it is. It's just another fight to me. I was ready to go. People talk, talk, talk, talk, drama sales. So let there be drama. All the drama in the world,

man. They stay tuned in come, came January 16. You say it was just another fight. And, you know, people are always appreciative of you because you're always ready to fight. That's one of things people really love about you. But I don't know if it's just me, Max, but like all fight week, there just seemed like there was something a little bit different about you that like there was a little more intensity to you like that's how i saw it like is is that accurate at all or am i just like reading too much into how it looked on camera i mean i don't know maybe it could have been i mean it was just an intense week i guess uh i guess so because the abc too you know i guess was was it was because it is a big history you know and it was the first first uh first fight of the

of the year in three weeks you know and in three weeks of there was no year you USC's and then we got to open up the year and I got to be the first main event on ABC. So I think so and you wasn't wrong in that sense. And yeah, you know, it was just big stuff. You know, it was just, I got to, man, I get to edge my name in the history books along legends of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, all these guys that got to fight on ABC. And now my name is up there with them and nobody can ever take it away. So it's, it was amazing. Yeah, I mean, you put on a ferocious pace with Calvin right away in the first round. He couldn't really get going, but I'm sure knowing Calvin heading in, that's sort of typical for him. He's been a little bit of

a slow starter. And for him, like second round is when business starts to pick up for him, but you turn it up to another level in that second round. You had him in big trouble. Was that kind of part of the plan, like put a little bit of a pace on him early? And then in that second round, when he normally gets cooking, we'll turn up our volume. Man, I don't know how to explain it. You know, there's just some nights. I don't know if you watch other sports, but, you know, there's just some nights in other sports, anybody badly just says that, like, oh, man, I'm not, I couldn't, I couldn't miss a shot, you know what I mean? I couldn't, every time I connected, I know it was going over,

over the fence, or I knew I was going to always get on base, like, it's just, that's just how I felt, you know, that night I felt like I was just, I was just in the zone, man. You could have put anybody in front of me. I would have, I would have did that performance, you know, as long as however tough it was, you know, shout out to cater, he was a, I do his boss is strong, man, tough as it can be. You know, it takes two to tangle. And I was only able to do what I did because he was standing across to me that night, you know? So at the end of day, I just, I was just, I was just in a zone, man.

I just felt good. I feel free. I felt like I was having the time of my life in there. Yeah, the fourth round is the one that really sticks out. It's kind of like the point of contention coming out of the fight because according to UFC stats, you landed 141 of 191 significant strikes, which is just absurd to even say out loud to you. But Calvin's in a bad, bad way.

He makes it out of the round. And you talked about how sometimes in sports, the hoop, so to speak, is just so big. You can't miss. What was that like fourth round like for you? Because fighters talk about how they sort of had this out-of-body experiences at different points of fights. Was that how that was for you,

especially in that fourth round? Yeah, for sure. you know, I felt like that from the first round and then the four run, actually, I was, we was going into the four round coming out to the fit or going from the turtle coming to, after the four, right? And we was coming to the fit. And I started jumping around. I was like, I definitely told myself like, right, he's not walking. He's not, he's not coming back out for this round. It is done. And he came out. He's hopping around, jumping around. I was like, oh, man. I was like, oh, we, we're in for a fight, fight. So I was excited, you know, I was excited. I felt good.

And like I said, hats off to cater, man. Like, I really showed why he's one of the top guys in the division. I spoke with Calvin's coach Tyson Chartier and it was a few weeks ago. And him and Herb Dean got a lot of flack because they didn't stop the fight in the fourth round. And Tyson said, in essence, like, we were so close. But every time we got to that place when we're about to throw in the towel, Calvin would give us a reason not to throw it because he would fight back and he would land a big shot. So in that fourth round, as you're landing all those shots, are you, like, surprised Herb Dean's not stepping in or that the towel wasn't thrown?

I mean, I don't know. You know, I'm a fighter fighter. I'm a fighter, man. You know, I'm not in there. I'm not in there focusing on Herb Dean. I'm not in there focusing on the coach. I'm in there doing my thing, you know, doing my job. If I start focusing on what the coach is doing or what Herb Dean's doing, I'm going to lose control, you know.

my my objective was to go out there and fight and I was fighting you know and all that other stuff I have no no say on it you know he's just tough you know like he said like I can see what Tyson coming from I can see where Herb Dean comes from and thinking in certain ways but all I got to do is focus on fighting you know I got to go out there and do my thing and that's all I was focused on I was focusing on Calvin and kind of like uh I don't know if vicious is the right word but the fifth round happens it continues on like you said Calvin was bouncing up and down ready to go and it's sort of told a vivid story in the fight. It's almost like it was meant to be to have that fifth round

because as the seconds were wearing down, you're getting your moment. You're shouting, oh, I'm a freshman. I'm the best boxer in the UFC. You're talking to DC and the commentary team. And then you land a punch while you're talking to them. Like it was just so wild to watch, man. You're slipping punches.

Like that fifth round, like those closing moments of the fight was just so crazy to watch. Like what is, I know it's hard to think in the Octagon, but like in that fifth round while this has happened. Like what is going on in your mind? I was just thinking, you know, when we went to that corner, I hit him in the body, and then I heard, I think it was Dan Hardy. Dan Hardy was saying something about numbers, like, like, strikes or whatever that I landed, and I told him, count it up. Like, I let him know it wasn't done, and then he caught me with a jab, and then that's why I went.

And then that's when I flexed and I talked to him, and I told him, my best boxing, UFC, whatever. That's when that all that happened. And it's this man, it's just that moment, you know, like he said, like, thank God. thankfully a lot of stuff didn't happen leading to that moment because if it all was tough then we would not have that a little minute of the last five round that was just crazy and also you know I'm super grateful for that how would you describe your relationship with daniel cormier it's like to me it's kind of like a big brother little brother thing but you guys are super tight and you talk a little jabs back and forth at each other dc likes to poke and proddy a little bit but

in like a a kind-hearted spirited way like how would you describe that relationship with daniel I would say, I'd say definitely like a big brother, you know what I mean? Like a big brother, little brother kind of stuff, you know? I just going to keep poking the bear and just so happens he does look like a bear. So I'll just keep poking me. I mean, like I say, I got nothing but love for the guy. But number one pound-fought fighter in the world should be willing to fight anybody. You know, and that's why I call him all, you know.

And I like to believe I'm the dad's man on the planet. And he likes to think so he's that. I don't know where he's coming up with that. Just because you sneeze and you throw you back doesn't make you the Dallas man on a planet. But whatever, we go on next time. But, you know, DC know it is. And he's very determined. I heard he's trying to get back in shape.

I don't know what for. But you might see DC and Max how they actually be official. And everybody, and we can thank the fans for it because they're on team Max, baby. Hashtag Dasband on the planet. That's cool. Must see TV right there. I mean, listen, when you have a performance like you had last month, it opens up a lot of doors, you know, get D.C.'s attention. Of course, you know, we get the big title fight coming up on March 27.

with Volcanovsky and Ortega. You know, you deserve the winner of that fight. In my opinion, you got Conner's attention with that performance. You got everyone's attention, if we're being honest. But, you know, now that like a month or so has gone by, where's your mind sort of taking you with the next step, you know, since that fight, since that performance, because now you've had some time to let it kind of soak in your brain,

kind of chill out a little bit. Where's your mind taking you as far as the next step in your fighting career goes? I always say it happens, you know. You said perfect. You know, Dana White said what he said after our fight, you know, and, you know, with the Alex and Ortega fight coming up, everybody know that I'm the cloud, you know what I mean? I'm the cloud over that fight, you know, I'm the cloud over the division. So, you know, let them two guys focus on each other, focus what they got to do, and then let the rain continue, you know, after it. So I can't wait.

I'm just excited now. I'm just chilling out, hanging out, surfing with my fiancee, with my son. He's getting into surfing and playing. a bunch of load of video games, you know. So like I said, we're on Facebook Gaming now, come through and come hang with the boy. What's, what's better? I mean, you've experienced both at this point. What's better, being the champion or being the cloud? I mean, I don't know. And I mean, I would say being a father, I mean, I think being a father is the best thing ever. Being a dadist man on the planet, that's the best thing ever. Having a fiance to spend time,

having having stuff to be with them. You know, it is what it is. You know, like I said, you guys heard me talk about it multiple times, you know. You're not a champion because of a belt, because you have a belt. You know, I carried myself a champion for the belt. I got five of them at home. I mean, I got a little, and one of those little Palm Ranger looking things that goes on them, you know. So at the end of day, I ain't mad.

You know, I love, I just, I love being a dad, man. But that's better. That's the best thing, being a father. Yeah, I'm with you on that one. I have a seven-year-old, almost an eight-year-old, and people tell me, like, each year's a little tougher, you know what I mean? They say, like, two's and the threes, and then, like, oh, it'll get better, but, you know, it doesn't really. It's never going to get better, you know. Why's when these little punks get 14, the 15 to 16 when they got a little bit of ad to, you know?

And then they start dating and shit. I'm like, oh, man, what is it going to? What is life going to be like 10 years from now? It's going to be so different, man. Exactly. Do you have a theory or a thought on how that title fight plays out? Do you think, I mean, you fought both guys, so you have a better kind of knowledge on it than I would. I have no idea.

I don't know, man. You know, style makes fights, like they said, and whoever shows up shows up. So who said happens, you know? It's an interesting fight for sure. So we see what way it goes and, you know, made the best man win. Do you feel like in a weird way this late in your career that Volcanowski is, kind of like your career rival now. He's like your arch nemesis outside of Daniel Cormier, of course,

because I mean, I feel like you guys are going to be forever attached together at this point. You've had the two fights. The second fight was so controversial. Do you know what I mean? I mean, no, I don't look at that at anything with anyone, you know? Like, this is just what I do. I fight. I fight whoever it is.

You know, I don't make these narratives, this and that. But somebody wants to, they can go ahead, you know, like I said, drama sales. So if somebody wants to bring the job. I ain't going to be, you know. But if you want to be about a big drama show, then go and do it, you know, go and say that. But at the end of the day, I got no mind, you know. I mean, I just focus on me. I focus what I control.

I focus on what I can do, how I can make myself a better person in and out the octagon. And we're going from there. You just want to be challenged. You want to fight the best guy's possible at this point. Doesn't matter. Name. You just want the very best guy to stand across from the octagon with you at this point. 100%, you know, I want to be, you know, when all this money and this thing.

and whatever it is, this interviewers, when they don't want to do me anymore. When it's all saying, Don, when I leave this earth, whatever happens, I want, I want my name to be amongst the greats, you know, in this sports, in all the sports, not only in this division. So whatever that takes, you know, let me know, and I'm willing to take that role. I know you said you don't, you don't watch a lot of fights, but did you watch the fight between Dustin Porreier and Connor McGregor? No, but I saw, you know, I saw it happen. I saw clips of here and there and, uh, well, crazy.

It just shows how crazy MMA sports is, right? MMA, MMA is the one of the most wild sports there is. I do, two last things for you let you go. I do want to talk about the gaming channel a little bit more in a moment, but I just wanted to get some clarification on something because the last couple of fights, this one with Calvin especially, you said he didn't spar. And by that, do you mean like that you just didn't hard spar or like no sparring at all? I'm just curious how that works because is there somebody that's like mimicking Calvin in the gym in any way?

Or is this just pure instinct and experience taking over more than anything? Yeah, we didn't spar. We didn't hard spar. Like I didn't, we didn't go on there and like and spar spar, you know, like fight spar. You know, we went in there, we moved around, you know what I mean? Like I saw stuff, but it was for looks. It was mainly for looks, you know? And that's what it was for.

That's what it was about. Like I wasn't, you don't, you know what I mean? why why damage the motherboard before getting to to the main show? So that's just the way we look at. You know, I didn't really hard spar, not at all. Like we moved. I saw movements. We mimicked Calvin for sure, you know, just to give me an idea.

But that's about it. Yeah, I think it's so smart. Now we're seeing stories of, you know, past fighters like Spencer Fisher. That story is just crazy seeing like the long-term effects of sparring and the wars he had in the octagon and out of the octagon. It's a scary thing, man. When did you sort of realize, like, I don't need this anymore? Like, I fought long enough.

Like, I don't need to do the hard sparring thing anymore. I mean, I kind of know of it, you know. It's just like anybody else, you know, I'm not telling people to stop sparring. You know, there comes to age where you can stop, you know, and I think so most UFC guys, we can. You know, we went to it a lot. If you got to USC, it means you've been to some fights and you're here by reason. So you had to put in the work to get here. Nobody gets here by chance or luck, really, you know.

And once you get that point, then it's smarter, you know, it's better, you know, and this is a new way to do it. So at the end day, it just took it. It was just time, you know, I had so much time. I had so much time where I did certain things where it's like, oh, this happened to me. So I had to fight through this in amateur fights, you know what I mean? And even in sparring. And it was just, you look at other sports, you know, like the NFL, you know, I mean, or football. when you're playing like little school leagues or when you're playing park leagues you're hitting you play high school leagues you're hitting you know what I mean you go to college depending on

what college you go they actually stop hitting they hit during the spring and then during the whole season they're not hitting you go to NFL they don't put on no pads to hit each other you know it's just why why are these guys doing that why don't we try to try and do that and that's what we did you know, I got a, I got a son. Like I said, I want to be a great dad. I want to be a great grandfather. And if I lived that long, I want to be a great, great grandfather. You know what I mean?

So at the end of the day, that's what I think. I'm just thinking long-term goals, long-term life. And I want to put no extra stress on any loved ones. Well said. So let's talk about the gaming because, like I said, I do follow you on Facebook. I see the, the Blessed Express is going live. You're hanging out with the peeps. you're playing some games.

Like I said, the thumbnail absolutely rules. Talk about that. Like, do you have set times when you actually do it? Or is just like surprise and playing games? Like, is it just on Facebook or is there other outlets they can find it as well? I'm just on Facebook. All my videos that we post up is on Facebook to come on through and give them live Max Holloway official. Like I said, I go on almost every day around.

It's like a time around 2 to 3 p.m. Hawaii state time. and then sometimes I jump in the morning around 8 o'clock Hawaii State Time, certain days when I'm not training. But most of the time I'm back, I'm on around 2 to, actually 2 to 4 p.m. Hawaii State Time. So if you guys ever want to come through Monday to Friday, to Sunday, and then the weekdays, Saturday or Sunday, if you're a supporter, I play with supporters. So that's what I do is it's so much good fun, man. It's just a way to get away from everything and just I'm a big call of duty guys.

So, you know, I love running through Vardance. So it's super fun. So it's mostly call of duty? It's always called duty. I don't play nothing else. I mean, I'm waiting for this game called Animal Crossing to, not Animal Crossing, but a party animals to come out. It's like a little fighting game of like, like cartoon dogs and stuff,

animated dogs and crocodiles. It's so cool, but they're fighting in it. So that's what I'm waiting for. There you go. What do you think of the Raptors this year? I they turn around they turn around the rapt is turn around baby so I can't wait you know you can't be just jumping the ship like I know it's having a tough opening friend van V really waking up man he'd be been hitting some shots lately for us so I think I think it's exciting times I mean this is a former

championship team you know and they just have some of the guys that want the championship on the team so they know what it takes you know they know it takes and I think so they're putting it together you know and then and it always helps with my Hawaiian my Hawaiian buddy bobby webstile over there at a GM. He just signed an extension. So shout out to him. And you know what it takes to get the guys. So hopefully we can get some more pieces and be back in title contention. Yeah, it's like our fortunes of reverse. I'm here in Massachusetts. So I'm obviously a Celtics fan. We started off hot and now we're starting to, you know, starting to crumble a little bit. Did you guys have a tough on this day? He's lost out like red, right? Right. Right.

Yeah. It's like 23 point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Yeah. And they came back, yeah. Just like Lakers. You see Lakers? Lakers is up 17. 17 and then Watson, Westbrook them came back in overtime. In the Ford, that's crazy. Well, I mean, if it happens to them, and I guess it's okay that it happens to the Celtics

because that team is just really hard to beat, man. I don't know who's going to beat them. It's just, I miss the NBA of like the late 80s, early 90s. I'm a little bit older than you, but I remember like Bird and the Pistons and you know, earn every shot. Like if you, there were no easy layups. You got clothes lined if you got in too close.

Yeah. Now you get, now you get foul, so you can't do it. So we sure it happens. I don't know. I think I think nets. I think nets and maybe Lakers do it together, man. I don't know. That would be that would be crazy. But see it happens. I hope Lakers go back to back though. I want to see them go back to back just for Braun. Yeah, I hear you, man. Max, I have to say like I said off here, bucketless conversation for me. I could have done this for another hour easily. But congratulations on the incredible performance. Cannot wait to see what's next in store for you. Really tremendous stuff in and out of the cage, my man.

Congratulations on the engagement as well. and wishing you nothing but the best, man. Enjoy the gaming. And make sure you tune in, everybody, the Blast Express on Facebook. That's cool. Thank you, brother. Later.

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