Max Holloway Wiki, Height, Weight, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Max Holloway is an American mixed martial artist, who has competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Holloway secured the UFC Featherweight Championship on 3 June 2017, by defeating José Aldo. As of 11 July 2023, he holds the #1 ranking in the UFC featherweight division and was ranked #12 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of 9 May 2023.

Wiki/Biography

Jerome Max Keli’i Holloway was born on Wednesday, 4 December 1991 (age 31 years; as of 2022) in Honolulu, Hawaii. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius.

He grew up in Waianae, an area known for its fighting culture. Max began his kickboxing training in 2007, during his sophomore year when he was 15 years old. He trained with Team Ruthless and remarkably won his first amateur kickboxing match just three days after starting his training. He completed his formal education at Waianae High School in 2010.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 11”

Weight (approx.):66 kg

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 38”; Waist: 30”; Biceps: 14”

Family

He belongs to a native Hawaiian family belonging to the Samoan community.

Parents & Siblings

His father’s name is Mark Holloway, and his mother’s name is Missy Kapoi.

Wife & Children

His first wife, Kaimana Pa’aluhi, is an American model. He married her in 2012. The couple separated in 2014 and had a divorce in 2017.

His second wife, Alessa Quizon, is a professional surfer. They got married on 16 April 2022.

He has a son with his ex-wife Kaimana Pa’aluhi named Rush Holloway.

Religion

Max Holloway is a Christian.

Signature/Autograph

Career

MMA Career

By the age of 19, Holloway had built an undefeated record of 4-0. He garnered attention as the #7 prospect in the featherweight division in Bloody Elbow’s 2012 World MMA Scouting Report. Many started comparing his striking style, which included a diverse range of flying and spinning kicks, knees, and elbows, with former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. In his early career, Holloway had a notable split decision victory over former Strikeforce and WEC veteran Harris Sarmiento on 12 March 2011. This win also earned him the Lightweight championship title for the X-1 promotion based in Hawaii.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

When Holloway entered the UFC, he was the youngest fighter on the roster. He stepped in as a replacement for Ricardo Lamas on 4 February 2012 at UFC 143 against Dustin Poirier. Unfortunately, he lost this fight via submission in the first round due to a mounted triangle armbar. His second match was against Pat Schilling at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale on 1 June 2012. Holloway won with a unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27). On 11 August 2012, at UFC 150, Holloway faced Justin Lawrence and secured a victory by TKO in the second round. Later, on 29 December 2012, at UFC 155, he fought Leonard Garcia as a replacement for Cody McKenzie and won the closely contested bout by split decision.

Holloway went up against Dennis Bermudez on 25 May 2013, at UFC 160. He suffered a controversial split decision loss in this bout, despite 11 out of 11 media members scoring the fight in favour of Holloway. Subsequently, Holloway faced Conor McGregor on 17 August 2013, at UFC Fight Night 26. In this fight, he was defeated via unanimous decision.

On 4 January 2014, at UFC Fight Night 34, he went against newcomer Will Chope. Holloway secured a victory via TKO in the second round and earned his first Knockout of the Night bonus award. He faced Andre Fili on April 26, 2014, at UFC 172. In a back-and-forth contest, Holloway won by submitting Fili in the third round. Scheduled to face Mirsad Bektić on 23 August 2014, at UFC Fight Night 49, Holloway had to replace an injured Ernest Chavez. However, Bektić withdrew from the fight during the event week and was substituted by promotional newcomer Clay Collard. Holloway won the bout via TKO in the third round. Stepping in once again as a replacement, Holloway fought Akira Corassani on 4 October 2014, at UFC Fight Night 53, filling in for Chan Sung Jung. He claimed victory through a first-round knockout, which earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

On 15 February 2015, at UFC Fight Night 60, he fought Cole Miller and secured a unanimous decision victory. Facing Cub Swanson on April 18, 2015, at UFC on Fox 15, Holloway won by finishing the fight with a mounted guillotine submission in the third round. This achievement also earned him his second Performance of the Night bonus award. On 23 August 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74, Holloway went up against Charles Oliveira. He won the bout in the first round through TKO, after Oliveira suffered an apparent neck/shoulder injury while defending a takedown. Despite the injury being described as a micro-tear in his oesophagus, the UFC clarified that Oliveira did not sustain major injuries. Holloway’s victory marked him as the youngest fighter in UFC history to achieve 10 wins. Holloway faced Jeremy Stephens on 12 December 2015, at UFC 194, where he secured a unanimous decision victory in the fight.

On 4 June 2016, at UFC 199, he faced Ricardo Lamas and secured a victory via unanimous decision. Holloway faced Anthony Pettis for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship on 10 December 2016, at UFC 206. During the weigh-ins, Pettis weighed in at 148 lbs., exceeding the limit for a championship fight. This meant that if Pettis were to win, he would not be eligible for the UFC championship. Additionally, Pettis was fined 20% of his purse, which was given to Holloway. The bout took place at a catchweight. Holloway went on to win the fight in the third round via TKO and earned a Performance of the Night bonus award.

Holloway faced José Aldo, the featherweight champion, in a title unification bout on 3 June 2017, at UFC 212. Despite facing some early challenges, Holloway managed to defeat Aldo via TKO in the third round. This victory also earned him his first Fight of the Night bonus award. On 4 October 2017, Holloway announced that he had signed a new multi-fight deal with the UFC. He was originally scheduled to fight Frankie Edgar on 2 December 2017 at UFC 218 to defend his title. However, on 8 November 2017, Edgar withdrew from the event due to injury, and he was replaced by José Aldo. Holloway won the fight against Aldo via TKO in the third round and successfully retained the UFC Featherweight Championship.

The fight against Frankie Edgar was rescheduled for 3 March 2018, at UFC 222. Unfortunately, on 3 February 2018, it was announced that Holloway had to withdraw from the bout due to a leg injury. However, on 1 April 2018, Holloway was named as a last-minute replacement for the injured Tony Ferguson in a fight for the vacant undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 223. He was set to face Khabib Nurmagomedov on 7 April 2018. If successful, Holloway would have become the second fighter in UFC history (after Conor McGregor) to hold titles in two different divisions simultaneously. Despite having no scheduled fight and not being in a training camp, Holloway accepted the match with only six days to prepare. But, on 6 April 2018, as he was due to weigh in, Holloway was removed from the card by New York State Athletic Commission doctors due to the severity of his short-notice weight cut. Al Iaquinta stepped in as a replacement for Holloway in the bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Holloway was then set to defend his UFC Featherweight Championship against Brian Ortega on 7 July 2018, at UFC 226. However, on 4 July 2018, Holloway was pulled from the fight due to “concussion-like symptoms.” For his second title defence, Holloway faced Brian Ortega in the main event at UFC 231 in Toronto on 8 December 2018. Holloway won with a TKO at the end of the fourth round due to a doctor’s stoppage. This win earned him both the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards. During the fight, Holloway broke the record for the most significant strikes in one fight with 290, set a record for landing 134 of those significant strikes in a single round, and established the record for the most victories in UFC featherweight history with fifteen wins.

Moving up a weight class, he had a match with Dustin Poirier for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship on 13 April 2019 at UFC 236. Despite a back-and-forth battle, Holloway was defeated via unanimous decision. This fight was recognized with the Fight of the Night award. Returning to the featherweight division, Holloway faced former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Their bout was scheduled multiple times and finally took place on 27 July  2019, as the main event of UFC 240. Holloway emerged victorious with a unanimous decision and defended his featherweight title for the third time. In his fourth title defence, Holloway faced Alexander Volkanovski on 14 December 2019, at UFC 245. Unfortunately, he lost the fight via unanimous decision.

In a rematch for the UFC Featherweight Championship, Holloway faced Alexander Volkanovski on 12 July 2020, at UFC 251. Despite a close fight, he was defeated via split decision. The decision started controversy among media outlets, as 18 out of 27 media scores favoured Holloway. Notable figures in mixed martial arts, including UFC president Dana White, former referee and rules creator John McCarthy, and several fighters, also disagreed with the decision. The fight was very close, and fans debated over who actually won. While official fight stats showed Volkanovski landing more strikes, it’s important to note that Holloway also had impactful moments, particularly in the first two rounds. The third round was the most debated. When speaking to MMA Fighting on Wednesday during the UFC Fight Island 7 media day, Holloway said,

It means a lot, that’s why the last fight, it’s hard to be mad about it. It’s hard to be mad about the last fight cause exactly what you said, 80 to 90 percent of the world thought I won the fight.” He said “It’s not just fans. It’s competitors. It’s guys like Nate [Diaz], Dustin [Poirier], Justin [Gaethje], Jorge [Masvidal], people like coaches, GSP’s coach [Firas Zahabi], ‘Big’ John McCarthy, the guy who made the rules. I ain’t too mad about it.”

On 16 January 2021, he headlined UFC on ABC 1 against Calvin Kattar. Holloway dominated the fight for all five rounds. The judges scored the fight 50–43 and 50–42 in his favour. In the final moments of the fifth round, Holloway landed a two-punch combo and interacted with the commentary team while dodging Kattar’s strikes. He even shouted, “I’m the best boxer in the UFC!” during the exchange, similar to Muhammad Ali’s showmanship. This performance set multiple UFC single-fight records, including total strikes landed and attempted, significant strikes landed and attempted, strike differential, distance strikes landed, significant head strikes landed, and significant body strikes landed. Additionally, his fourth-round record for strikes and significant strikes landed was notable. Both Holloway and Kattar received the Fight of the Night award. Holloway was initially set to fight Yair Rodríguez on 17 July 2021, at UFC on ESPN 26. However, on 17 June 2021, reports confirmed that Holloway had to withdraw from the fight due to an injury. He faced Yair Rodríguez on 13 November 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197. Holloway won the fight via unanimous decision, and both fighters were once again honoured with the Fight of the Night award.

Film & Television

• Den of Thieves (2018)
  

  Max Holloway in Den of Thieves

• Hawaii Five-0 (2010)

• CaRtOoNz (2014)

• UFC on Fox (2012)
  

  Max Holloway in UFC on Fox

Awards, Honours, Achievements

Championships and Title

• UFC Featherweight Championship (One time; former)
  

  Max Holloway won UFC Featherweight Championship

• Interim UFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
  

  Max Holloway won the Interim UFC Featherweight Championship

• First American to win the UFC Featherweight Championship

• X-1 Lightweight Championship (One time; former)

Title Defenses and Fight Records

• Three successful title defenses

• Third most title fight wins in UFC Featherweight division history (5)

• Most wins in UFC Featherweight division history (20)
  

  Max Holloway’s record of winning 20 matches

• Most knockouts in UFC Featherweight division history (8)

• Most finishes in UFC Featherweight division history (10)

• Tied (Darren Elkins) for most bouts in UFC Featherweight division history (25)

• Longest winning streak in the UFC Featherweight division history (13)
  

  Max Holloway’s record of Win Streak

Performance Awards

• Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Will Chope

• Fight of the Night (Five times) vs. José Aldo, Brian Ortega, Dustin Poirier, Calvin Kattar, and Yair Rodríguez

• Performance of the Night (Four times) vs. Akira Corassani, Cub Swanson, Anthony Pettis, and Brian Ortega

• 2018 Performance of the Year vs. Brian Ortega (MMADNA)

Striking Records

• Highest significant strike differential in UFC championship history (+180 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Most significant strikes landed in UFC history (3122)
  

  Max Holloway’s record of Sig Strike Landed

• Most significant strikes landed in UFC Featherweight division history (2817)

• Most total strikes landed in UFC Featherweight division history (3021)

• Highest significant strike differential in a fight in UFC history (+312 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second highest significant strike differential in a fight in UFC history (+180 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+445 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+290 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Second most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+290 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Third most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+230 vs. Yair Rodriguez)

• Most significant strikes attempted in a fight in UFC history (+744 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Most significant strikes attempted in a fight in UFC Lightweight division history (+446 vs. Dustin Poirier)

• Most significant strikes attempted in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+744 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most significant strikes attempted in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+490 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Most distance strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+439 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most distance strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+281 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Second most distance strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+281 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Third most distance strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+187 vs. Yair Rodriguez)

• Most significant head strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+274 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Most total strikes landed in UFC history (3366)
  

  Max Holloway’s record of Total Strikes Landed

• Most significant head strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+274 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most significant head strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+244 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Most significant body strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+117 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Most significant body strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+117 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most significant body strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+66 vs. Yair Rodriguez)

• Most total strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+447 vs Calvin Kattar)

• Most total strikes landed in a fight in UFC featherweight division history (+447 vs Calvin Kattar)

• Second most total strikes landed in a fight in UFC featherweight division history (+307 vs Brian Ortega)

• Most total strikes attempted in a fight in UFC history (+746 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Most total strikes attempted in a fight in UFC Lightweight division history (+473 vs. Dustin Poirier)

• Most total strikes attempted in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+746 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most total strikes attempted in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+507 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Third most total strikes attempted in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+434 vs. Yair Rodriguez)

• Second most total head strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+274 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Third most total head strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+254 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Most total head strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+274 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most total head strikes landed in a fight in UFC Featherweight division history (+254 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Most total body strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+119 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Most significant strikes landed in a round in UFC history (+141 in Round 4 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most significant strikes landed in a round in UFC history (+134 in Round 4 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Most significant strikes landed in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+141 in Round 4 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most significant strikes landed in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+134 in Round 4 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Second most significant strikes attempted in a round in UFC history (+204 in Round 3 vs. Jose Aldo)

• Third most significant strikes attempted in a round in UFC history (+196 in Round 4 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Fourth most significant strikes attempted in a round in UFC history (+191 in Round 4 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Most significant strikes attempted in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+204 in Round 3 vs. Jose Aldo)

• Second most significant strikes attempted in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+196 in Round 4 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Third most significant strikes attempted in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+191 in Round 4 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Most total strikes landed in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+141 in Round 4 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Second most total strikes landed in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+141 in Round 4 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Second most total strikes attempted in a round in UFC history (+212 in Round 3 vs. Jose Aldo)

• Third most total strikes attempted in a round in UFC history (+203 in Round 4 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Fourth most total strikes attempted in a round in UFC history (+191 in Round 4 vs. Calvin Kattar)

• Most total strikes attempted in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+212 in Round 3 vs. Jose Aldo)

• Second most total strikes attempted in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+203 in Round 4 vs. Brian Ortega)

• Third most total strikes attempted in a round in UFC Featherweight division history (+191 in Round 4 vs. Calvin Kattar)

Awards & Honours

• 2017 Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Fighter of the Year (World MMA Awards)

• 2017 Fighter of the Year (RealSport)

• 2017 Fighter of the Year (Pundit Arena)

• 2017 Fighter of the Year (MMAFighting)
  

  Max Holloway won Fighter of the Year 2017 at MMAFighting

• 2017 Fighter of the Year (BishopSportsNetwork)

• 2021 Beatdown of the Year vs. Calvin Kattar (Sherdog)

• 2023 April Fight of the Month vs. Arnold Allen (MMAjunkie)
  

  Max Holloway’s fight with Arnold Allen won Fight of the Month April 2023 at MMAjunkie

Car Collection

He has a Daytona and Windward.

Tattoos

He has a big tattoo with the word “Jesus” inked on his chest along with a Polynesian design that includes two small birds on the upper part of the left pec, a few trees, and two eyes at the end.

On his right arm, he has tattoos of the word “Blessed,” and a pattern, which he calls as “Religious side” of himself. He also has wings on his forearm and a cross on his shoulder.

On his right bicep, Max has a tattoo of trees. On the inner part, he has the name of his son, Rush, inked.

He has a tattoo of his surname, “Holloway” on his belly along with a bird tattoo.

Max has his address and name inked on the inside of his left bicep. The name ‘Momona Place’ is inked on the plate, followed by the street number 96792, and a lantern on the left side of the nameplate.

He has a tattoo of angel and devil wings on his back.

Max has a tattoo on the inside side of his right forearm that contains a quote from the bible’s Psalm 144.

Salary

Max Holloway’s base salary in UFC is 5,00,000 USD. In his UFC career, he has earned $5,802,000 in total. ¹

Net Worth

He has a total net worth of 5 million USD, as of 2023. ²

Facts/Trivia

• Holloway’s upbringing was challenging. His parents struggled with drug addiction, particularly his mother Missy Kapoi, who used crystal meth but eventually recovered. His father, Mark Holloway, was abusive towards his mother and left when Max was around 11 years old.

• He likes to work out.

• Max Holloway loves to spend quality time with his family on the beach, as his wife is a pro surfer. Even before meeting/dating Alessa Quizon, Max Holloway had an interest in surfing.
  

  Max Holloway with his family on the beach

  

  Max Holloway’s post on surfing on Instagram

• As of 2023, Max Holloway’s total fight time in his UFC career is more than 7 seven hours.
  

  Max Holloway’s record of Total Fight Time

• Max Holloway likes to play UFC video games. Interestingly, he learned some combinations of strikes while playing these games. In a Joe Rogan podcast, he said,

You know the UFC game, I would use hen and Barao and… Jose Aldo and I’ll do stuff with them. I’d be like, oh yeah! this works in the game. So my friend at the time Dustin Poirier, he would kind of hold mids for me and I would be like look I tried this in the game and it was working, let’s try it and we did it. I figured out from freaking UFC, the regular UFC game, the first-ever UFC game.” He added, “I play the game and be like look at this, I tried combination. I’d be like, oh yeah! this kind of works let’s try it. Why not? It got me that far”

• Max Holloway, along with his wife and son, has cosplayed characters of many popular anime series.
  

  Max Holloway and his family cosplaying the characters of Naruto

• His nickname is Blessed.
  

  Max wearing a hairband with his nickname printed on it

• Max Holloway is a playable character in popular video games like EA Sports UFC 2, EA Sports UFC 3, EA Sports UFC 4, and UFC Undisputed 3.
  

  Max Holloway in UFC 2

1. Coop PWB
2. Coop PWB