Few fighters have left their fingerprints on the UFC record book the way “Blessed” has. The Max Holloway career stats tell the story of a Hawaiian who built his reputation on relentless pace, iron durability and a willingness to fight anyone, at any weight, on any notice.
This guide breaks down his professional record, striking records, title history and head-to-head results against his biggest rivals. It also covers the latest developments from 2026, including his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 and his first-round win over Conor McGregor at UFC 329.
Quick answer: As of October 2026, Max Holloway is 28-9 as a professional and 24-9 in the UFC. He owns the all-time UFC records for significant strikes landed (3,693), total strikes landed (3,994) and total octagon time.
Latest Updates on Max Holloway’s Career (2026)
Two fights have reshaped the numbers behind the Max Holloway career stats this year, and they pulled his story in opposite directions.
UFC 326: Oliveira Takes the BMF Belt (March 7, 2026)
Holloway entered UFC 326 as the reigning BMF champion, the only man to successfully defend that belt. Charles Oliveira, however, dragged the fight to the mat and won a unanimous decision on all three scorecards (50-45). That result ended Holloway’s BMF reign and dropped his record to 27-9. It was also the first time in years that his usual volume could not take over a five-round fight.
UFC 329: Holloway Stops McGregor at Welterweight (July 11, 2026)
In order to rematch Conor McGregor, whom he had not faced since 2013, Holloway climbed up to 170 pounds four months later. The fight ended 1:09 into round one by TKO after McGregor suffered a knee injury, handing Holloway his 28th professional win. The result also made him the 20th fighter to win UFC bouts in three different weight classes: featherweight, lightweight and welterweight.
What Is Next?
At the time of writing, no next fight has been officially announced. Holloway has said he would gladly run it back with McGregor, and McGregor has publicly asked for a trilogy during International Fight Week 2027. Holloway has also hinted at a lightweight title chase if the trilogy does not materialize. Check the official UFC schedule for confirmed bookings.
Max Holloway Career Stats at a Glance
Here is the full snapshot, updated after UFC 329.
| Stat Category | Number |
| Professional record | 28-9-0 |
| UFC record | 24-9-0 |
| Wins by KO/TKO | 13 |
| Wins by submission | 2 |
| Wins by decision | 13 |
| Finish rate | Roughly 54% (15 of 28) |
| UFC significant strikes landed | 3,693 (all-time record) |
| UFC total strikes landed | 3,994 (all-time record) |
| Significant strikes per minute | 6.92 |
| Striking accuracy | 48% |
| Striking defense | 58% |
| Takedown defense | 81% |
| Total UFC fight time | 8 hours, 53 minutes, 52 seconds (most in UFC history) |
| Divisions won in | Featherweight, lightweight, welterweight |
| Post-fight bonuses | 13 |
Notice the balance. Thirteen knockouts and thirteen decisions show a fighter who can end a night early or win a five-round chess match. Very few elite champions are equally dangerous both ways.
Who Is Max Holloway? Background and Fighter Profile
Jerome Max Keli’i Holloway was born on December 4, 1991, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and grew up on the Waianae coast of Oahu. He turned professional as a teenager in 2010 and made his UFC debut at just 20 years old.
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Jerome Max Keli’i Holloway |
| Born | December 4, 1991 (age 34) |
| Hometown | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Nickname | Blessed |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in |
| Reach | 69 in |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Gym | Gracie Technics, Hawaii |
| Current division | Lightweight (also competed at welterweight in 2026) |
His nickname comes from genuine gratitude rather than marketing, and it matches how colleagues describe him: grounded, funny and consistently respectful, even after losses.
Max Holloway Career Stats: Striking Records Explained
Striking is where Holloway has no real competition in the history books.
All-Time Significant Strike Leader
With 3,693 significant strikes landed in UFC competition, Holloway sits at the top of the all-time list across every weight class. His total strikes landed figure (3,994) is also the highest ever recorded. Inside the featherweight division alone, he has landed 2,971 significant strikes, again the most in the weight class.
Single-Fight and Single-Round Records
His best known performance came against Calvin Kattar in January 2021, when he landed 445 significant strikes. That remains the single-fight record in UFC history. He also holds the record for most significant strikes in a single round at featherweight, with 141.
Pace, Accuracy and Defense
The per-minute numbers explain how the totals pile up. Holloway lands about 6.92 significant strikes per minute at 48% accuracy while absorbing 4.60 per minute, a healthy positive differential. His 58% striking defense and 81% takedown defense also challenge the old criticism that he is a brawler who ignores defense.
His durability is part of the story too. He has spent more total time inside the octagon than any other fighter in UFC history, and he has remained competitive against elite opposition for well over a decade.
Max Holloway Career Stats: Championship History
Featherweight Title Reign
Holloway captured the interim featherweight title by stopping Anthony Pettis at UFC 206 in December 2016. He then unified the belt by finishing the long-reigning José Aldo in round three at UFC 212 in June 2017, becoming the undisputed champion.
Title Defenses
He defended the featherweight title three times:
- José Aldo at UFC 218 (December 2017), another round-three finish
- Brian Ortega at UFC 231 (December 2018), a one-sided five-round war stopped by the doctor between rounds four and five
- Frankie Edgar at UFC 240 (July 2019), a decision win
His reign ended in December 2019, when Alexander Volkanovski outpointed him at UFC 245.
The BMF Title
On April 13, 2024, Holloway knocked out Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 with one second left on the clock in round five, winning the BMF belt and the Knockout of the Year award. He defended it against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in July 2025 with a unanimous decision in Poirier’s retirement fight. The belt changed hands when Oliveira beat him in March 2026.
Win-Loss Breakdown: Understanding the 28-9 Record
Nine losses can look like a lot for a legend, but the names attached to them explain the context.
| Opponent | Event | Result | Context |
| Dustin Poirier | UFC debut, 2012 | Loss (submission) | Holloway was 20 years old |
| Conor McGregor | UFC Fight Night 26, 2013 | Loss (decision) | Early-career featherweight fight |
| Dennis Bermudez | 2013 | Loss (split decision) | Early-career setback before his long win streak |
| Dustin Poirier | UFC 236, 2019 | Loss (decision) | Interim lightweight title fight |
| Alexander Volkanovski | UFC 245, 2019 | Loss (decision) | Lost featherweight title |
| Alexander Volkanovski | UFC 251, 2020 | Loss (split decision) | Highly debated scorecards |
| Alexander Volkanovski | UFC 276, 2022 | Loss (decision) | Third meeting |
| Ilia Topuria | UFC 308, 2024 | Loss (KO) | Featherweight title fight |
| Charles Oliveira | UFC 326, 2026 | Loss (decision) | Lost BMF title |
Almost every recent defeat came in a championship fight against a champion or future champion. During his peak he also strung together 13 consecutive wins between 2014 and 2018, among the longest streaks the division has seen.
Career Timeline: Key Moments in the Max Holloway Career Stats
A quick timeline helps connect the numbers to the moments that created them.
| Year | Milestone |
| 2010 | Turns professional as a teenager in Hawaii |
| 2012 | Debuts in the UFC at age 20 and loses to Dustin Poirier |
| 2013 | Loses a decision to Conor McGregor |
| 2014-2018 | Wins 13 consecutive fights |
| 2016 | Wins the interim featherweight title over Anthony Pettis |
| 2017 | Finishes José Aldo twice, unifying and then defending the belt |
| 2018 | Defends the title against Brian Ortega |
| 2019 | Loses to Poirier at lightweight, defends vs. Edgar, then loses the belt to Volkanovski |
| 2024 | Knocks out Gaethje at UFC 300 for the BMF belt; loses to Ilia Topuria |
| 2025 | Defends the BMF belt against Poirier at UFC 318 |
| 2026 | Loses the BMF belt to Oliveira, then stops McGregor at welterweight |
Fighting Style: Why the Max Holloway Career Stats Look So Different
Statistics only matter if they reflect a repeatable style, and Holloway’s does. He fights at a constant forward tempo, mixing jabs, body shots and leg kicks to open up a head target late in the round. Rather than relying on one big weapon, he accumulates damage and forces opponents to make mistakes under fatigue.
His footwork supports that approach. He switches stances, changes angles and uses feints to bait counters, which keeps his accuracy near 48% despite the pace. His grappling base, built on a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, helps him scramble back to his feet when takedowns do land. That combination explains the 81% takedown defense listed above.
The trade-off is exposure to damage. Holloway absorbs a fair number of strikes because he stays in range, and wrestlers who can control him, as Oliveira did in 2026, remain the most effective blueprint against him. Still, the positive strike differential across his career shows the approach pays off far more often than it costs him.
Knockouts vs. Decisions: How Holloway Wins
Thirteen of his 28 wins are KO/TKO victories, and the pattern behind them is revealing. His knockouts tend to arrive late, after sustained volume breaks an opponent down. The Aldo stoppages, the Ortega beating and the Gaethje last-second shot all follow that script. The McGregor win in 2026 is the rare exception, ending quickly because of an injury rather than a strike-built finish.
His thirteen decision wins matter just as much. Holloway typically wins title rounds by pure speed, and five-round fights reward cardio and output. Those two methods combine to make him unusually hard to game plan against.
Max Holloway Career Stats: Head-to-Head Comparison vs. Rivals
Raw totals are one thing. Head-to-head results show how he performs against the fighters who defined his era.
Head-to-Head Record vs. His Biggest Opponents
| Opponent | Fights | Holloway Record | Notes |
| José Aldo | 2 | 2-0 | Two third-round finishes in 2017 |
| Justin Gaethje | 1 | 1-0 | UFC 300 last-second KO |
| Conor McGregor | 2 | 1-1 | Lost in 2013, won in 2026 |
| Dustin Poirier | 3 | 1-2 | Won the 2025 rematch |
| Charles Oliveira | 2 | 1-1 | Won in 2015, lost in 2026 |
| Alexander Volkanovski | 3 | 0-3 | All three fights went the distance |
| Ilia Topuria | 1 | 0-1 | Round-three KO loss |
Holloway vs. Volkanovski: The Defining Rivalry
Volkanovski is the one name Holloway has never beaten. All three fights went to the scorecards, and the second was split. Holloway’s volume kept the rounds close, but Volkanovski’s leg kicks, takedown threat and counter timing won the judges over. The rivalry remains the sharpest dent in an otherwise dominant featherweight résumé.
Holloway vs. Poirier: A Full-Circle Story
Poirier beat Holloway in his UFC debut and again in 2019 for the interim lightweight title. Holloway reversed the series at UFC 318, outpointing Poirier over five rounds in what was Poirier’s farewell fight. That win is one of the neater narrative arcs in modern MMA.
Holloway vs. Aldo: The Changing of the Guard
Holloway finished Aldo twice in 2017, ending a long era of featherweight dominance. The 2-0 record against a Hall of Fame-caliber champion remains one of the most important entries on his résumé.
How Holloway’s Numbers Compare Across the Division
The table below puts his most important statistical marks next to the context a fan needs to judge them.
| Category | Holloway | What It Means |
| Significant strikes landed (UFC) | 3,693 | Most ever in UFC history |
| Featherweight significant strikes | 2,971 | Most in division history |
| Single-fight significant strikes | 445 | UFC record, set vs. Kattar |
| Single-round significant strikes (FW) | 141 | Division record |
| Featherweight title defenses | 3 | Fewer than Aldo’s reign, which ran far longer |
| UFC wins | 24 | Third most in company history, tied with Neil Magny |
| KO wins in the UFC | 12 | Tied third most with Vitor Belfort |
Holloway does not own the most title defenses, but nobody comes close in output and longevity. That is why many analysts rank him among the greatest featherweights ever even without the longest championship run.
Is Max Holloway a Hall of Fame Fighter?
On stats alone, the case is strong. Consider what the numbers show together: championship gold, a signature last-second knockout, victories in three weight classes, thirteen post-fight bonuses and records that no active fighter is near. He also earned respect by taking difficult fights rather than waiting for ideal ones.
The counterargument is the Volkanovski trilogy and the fact that his two most recent title bids ended in defeat. Still, those losses came against elite opponents and do not erase a decade at the top of two divisions.
Final Thoughts on the Max Holloway Career Stats
The complete picture of the Max Holloway career stats is a 28-9 record, 3,693 significant strikes, three featherweight title defenses and a BMF reign that produced one of the best knockouts in UFC history. The 2026 season added a painful loss to Oliveira and a short but historic win over McGregor, proving that Holloway’s story is still unfinished.
Whether his next move is a McGregor trilogy or a push back toward the lightweight title, the numbers suggest he will keep adding to the record book. Bookmark this page, because we update these stats after every Holloway fight.
