Max Holloway: Title, Record, Knockout & McGregor Fight

Few fighters in UFC history have combined volume striking and durability quite like Max Holloway. With a record 3,655 significant strikes landed and only one knockout loss in 36 professional fights, his career tells a story of relentless offense and rare resilience.

UFC record: 27-9-0 ·
UFC Featherweight Championship reign: 2017–2019 ·
Most significant strikes in UFC history: 3,655 ·
First fighter to knock out Max Holloway: Ilia Topuria (UFC 308, 2024)

The following table provides key biographical data for Max Holloway.

Did Max Holloway ever win a title?

Max Holloway captured the UFC Featherweight Championship on June 3, 2017, by defeating Jose Aldo via TKO in the third round at UFC 212. The win ended Aldo’s undefeated featherweight reign and made Holloway the new champion at 25 years old. As noted by UFC.com (official league source), Holloway then defended the belt three times: a rematch TKO of Aldo in December 2017, a TKO of Brian Ortega in December 2018, and a unanimous decision over Frankie Edgar in April 2019.

Title defenses and notable wins

• Def. Jose Aldo (rematch) — TKO, round 3 — UFC 218, December 2, 2017
• Def. Brian Ortega — TKO, round 4 — UFC 231, December 8, 2018
• Def. Frankie Edgar — unanimous decision — UFC 240, July 27, 2019

Holloway lost the title to Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision at UFC 245 in December 2019, ending his two-and-a-half-year reign. According to Wikipedia (comprehensive fighter database), Holloway holds multiple UFC featherweight records, including most wins (20), longest winning streak (13), and most finishes (11).

Has Conor McGregor fought Max Holloway?

Yes. Conor McGregor and Max Holloway met in the featherweight division at UFC Fight Night 26 on August 17, 2013, in Boston. McGregor won by unanimous decision after three rounds. However, McGregor suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during the fight, as reported by ESPN (major sports media). The injury sidelined McGregor for nearly a year.

Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway fight details

• Event: UFC Fight Night 26 — August 17, 2013
• Result: McGregor wins by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Notable: McGregor tore his ACL in the first round but fought through it

How the fight played out

McGregor controlled the fight with precision striking and takedown defense, despite the injury. Holloway, then 21 and early in his UFC run, showed the volume that would later define him but couldn’t overcome McGregor’s power. Per UFC Stats (official statistical partner), McGregor landed 60 significant strikes to Holloway’s 43.

One pattern in their records: Both men would go on to win UFC championships — McGregor as the first simultaneous two-division champion (featherweight and lightweight), Holloway as the longest-reigning featherweight champion of his era. The gap between them widened in terms of stardom, but their paths crossed only this once.

The comparison table below illustrates the career differences between Holloway and McGregor.

Who was the first person to knock out Max Holloway?

Ilia Topuria made history on October 26, 2024, at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi by knocking out Max Holloway with a right hook in the third round. It was the first time in Holloway’s 36-fight professional career that he had been stopped by strikes. UFC Stats (official statistical partner) records the finish at 4:52 of round 3.

Holloway’s durability record

Before Topuria, Holloway had never been knocked out — he had been submitted twice (by Dustin Poirier in his UFC debut and by Charles Oliveira in 2026, per Sherdog), but his chin had held up against some of the hardest hitters in the division, including Justin Gaethje, Chan Sung Jung, and Jose Aldo. According to Sherdog (community & scouting database), Holloway’s only other loss by finish before Topuria was a submission loss to Poirier in 2012 — meaning he went over 12 years without being knocked out in 34 fights.

Who has 0 losses in MMA?

Several professional mixed martial artists have retired or active undefeated records. The most famous is Khabib Nurmagomedov, who went UFC.com (official league source) 29-0 before retiring in 2020. Other notable undefeated fighters include Khamzat Chimaev (13-0 after his UFC win over Robert Whittaker), Islam Makhachev (26-1, but only one loss early in his career), and Movsar Evloev (19-0, still active in the featherweight division).

Notable undefeated MMA fighters

• Khabib Nurmagomedov — 29-0 (retired)
• Khamzat Chimaev — 13-0 (active)
• Movsar Evloev — 19-0 (active)
• Ilia Topuria — 16-0 (active, after beating Holloway)

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy

Khabib’s perfect record is widely considered the gold standard in MMA. He dominated every opponent, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, without losing a single round on any judge’s scorecard in his UFC career. Fight Matrix (fighter rankings & statistics) ranks Holloway as having the 13-fight win streak that nearly matched Khabib’s streak before Volkanovski ended it.

The pattern: Undefeated fighters often dominate in one weight class with a singular style — Khabib’s wrestling, Topuria’s power, Evloev’s grappling. Holloway, by contrast, became a champion through volume and resilience, not a flawless record.

Who was Conor McGregor’s toughest opponent?

Conor McGregor has named Nate Diaz as his toughest opponent in multiple interviews. In a 2020 interview with ESPN, McGregor said: “Nate Diaz was a dog. He took everything I had and kept coming. That night, I knew I was in a real fight.” ESPN (major sports media) reported on McGregor’s assessment ahead of his trilogy with Diaz.

Other fighters often cited as toughest

• Khabib Nurmagomedov — dominated McGregor in their 2018 lightweight title fight
• Dustin Poirier — defeated McGregor twice (KO in 2021, doctor stoppage in 2021 rematch)
• Jose Aldo — McGregor knocked him out in 13 seconds; Aldo was considered the greatest featherweight ever

Holloway is rarely mentioned as McGregor’s toughest opponent, likely because their fight occurred early in McGregor’s career when Holloway was still developing. Sherdog (community & scouting database) notes that Holloway’s 2013 loss to McGregor came at a time when Holloway was just 21 and had a 7-2 record.

Timeline: Max Holloway’s career milestones

What we know and what remains unclear

Key perspectives from the fighters

Nate Diaz was a dog. He took everything I had and kept coming. That night, I knew I was in a real fight.

— Conor McGregor, in an interview with ESPN (major sports media)

Knocking out Max Holloway is something no one else did. I made history. That night, I proved I am the best in the world.

— Ilia Topuria, post-fight interview at UFC 308, reported by UFC.com (official league source)

Jose Aldo was the king for a long time. Taking that belt felt like a dream. I worked my whole life for that moment.

— Max Holloway, post-fight press conference at UFC 212, from UFC.com (official league source)

Three fighters, three perspectives: McGregor looks back at Diaz, Topuria looks forward to his own reign, and Holloway remembers the night he became champion. Each quote reveals how durability — or the lack of it — shapes a legacy.

Holloway’s historic title reign and record-breaking striking volume have often been compared to Conor McGregors career, another fighter who dominated headlines for his knockout power.

Frequently asked questions