Max Holloway has framed his upcoming rematch with Charles Oliveira as a gathering of two advanced blended‑martial artists, not a easy striker‑versus‑grappler matchup. Forward of their 5‑spherical light-weight bout for the BMF title at UFC 326, Holloway has repeatedly emphasised that Oliveira is “a killer” with an entire ability set, and that he feels assured each in his takedown defence and his means to compete on the bottom if the struggle goes there.
Max Holloway shuts down ‘striker vs grappler’ speak forward of Oliveira conflict
Talking with Stake, ‘Blessed’ Max Hollooway defined:
Charles is a killer, man. He’s an excellent fighter with wonderful abilities. I discover it humorous, folks say that it is a striker v grappler match up, however that is MMA, man. Charles is just not a straight jiu jitsu man, he makes use of his strikes to arrange his grappling.
“I’ve seen some folks say, ‘If it goes to the bottom, it’s over for Max,’ and I’m like, what?! I’m very assured in my takedown defence, but in addition my floor sport. I’ve been coaching in jiu jitsu for years, I adore it. I’ve far more jiu jitsu periods now than another facet and I really like them essentially the most. I like coaching within the gi.
“I noticed some issues on-line with folks saying why am I doing that, it’s unrealistic… however in case you can’t maintain me down in a gi, then you definately’re not going to carry me down after I’m all sweaty in an MMA struggle!
Holloway has pushed again on those that insist he shall be in peril if he’s taken down, noting that Oliveira is just not a pure jiu‑jitsu specialist however a fighter who makes use of strikes to arrange his grappling. Holloway has identified that lots of Oliveira’s finishes come after he has damage opponents on the ft, then capitalised on the bottom. That remark feeds into Holloway’s preparation: he’s treating Oliveira as a balanced menace somewhat than a one‑dimensional grappler, which shapes his method to distance, feints, and reactionary takedown defence.
That is MMA, and it occurs when folks go on these loopy runs, so I wasn’t shocked, nothing surprises me on this sport. Charles stated himself, he was a cub again then, now he’s a lion! Possibly I used to be a toddler again then and now I’m a teen? Jokes apart, I’m glad we’ve each gone on to do what now we have executed, and I’m wanting ahead to getting again in there with him.
“This doesn’t change the way in which I practice to be trustworthy. It was so way back once we fought, and now we have each change into completely totally different fighters, that there isn’t a lot I can take from that struggle. If you struggle somebody again to again like I did with Volk, then it might probably have an effect on it, however on this event not likely.
On the subject of grappling, Holloway has been open about the place he places his time in camp. He says he now trains Brazilian jiu‑jitsu extra usually than another a part of his sport and has structured these periods to harden his floor‑combating composure.
He has also addressed criticism from followers who query why he nonetheless trains within the gi, arguing that if somebody can not pin or management him by the friction of a gi, they’re unlikely to take action in a slick, sweaty MMA match. These periods are a part of a broader effort to indicate that he’s not only a stand‑up fighter who hopes to keep away from the bottom, however somebody who trains to outlive and counter in a number of positions.
Holloway has additionally revisited the context of their first struggle, which befell in 2015 at featherweight and ended with a TKO as a consequence of an harm‑associated stoppage. He has stated that Oliveira was “a cub” again then and is now “a lion,” acknowledging how a lot Oliveira has grown as a finisher and a strain fighter. Holloway has added that he himself has modified dramatically since that earlier assembly, joking that he could have been a “toddler” in 2015 and is now in a extra skilled stage of his profession. That shift means he doesn’t view the primary struggle as a base template for his present technique; as an alternative, he’s treating the rematch as a separate puzzle to resolve.
By way of camp construction, Holloway has indicated that the lengthy hole between the 2 fights means he’s not counting on direct footage from their first encounter for tactical particulars. He has as an alternative targeted on Oliveira’s latest performances, learning how he chains submissions, hunts for alternatives, and transitions between placing and wrestling. This method has led Holloway to sharpen lateral motion, clinch‑stage defence, and counters that may disrupt Oliveira’s rhythm earlier than he can shut the space and provoke his regular grappling strain.
