UFC Fight Night 42: Max Holloway wins the war vs Yair Rodriguez
UFC Fight Night finally came today with the Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez Featherweight bout as the main event, it did not disappoint. The Hawaii native is considered one of the best boxers in the sport but his opponent was no slouch and definitely came to battle.
Last weekend in UFC 268, Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje already offered one of the best fights of the year. But we definitely have a top contender for this distinction after tonight's battle. There were many great moments in the fight where the scale could've tipped in anyone's favor but Max Holloway maintained his status as one of the best in the business with a 5-round decision.
As far as legacy goes, tonight's fight was just another addition to an already impressive career for Holloway. He's the first American Featherweight champion with the most fights, most KO/TKO wins, moststoppage wins and the most overall wins in UFC history. Max won fight of the night and performance of the night 4 times throughout his career.
Tonight's victory with scorecards of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 from the judges is a great addition but Rodriguez was also praised by his peers and president Dana White. In hindsight, Holloway can continue trying to get his chance at winning back the title he lost against Alexander Volkanovski. But there's another sad reality to Max Holloway that nobody seems to address.
Should Max Holloway retire after this?
With the legacy he has in the UFC already, Max Holloway can literally do nothing more in the UFC than what he already accomplished. If he had a better defensive game without eating up so many punches per fight, maybe he could have a better future in the sport. However, you can see he already has a speech impediment and a disfigured face.
After today's fight, him and Rodriguez were immediately taken to the hospital in an ambulance but not before taking a picture together after the battle. There is only a number of fights any UFC warrior can withstand like Holloway has. He has a family to think about. But all the praise he gets for nights like this can also blurry his perspective and push him to accept more challenges.
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