Huge question looms over Max Holloway ahead of UFC 318, says MMA analyst
Is there a question mark surrounding Max Holloway before his third meeting with Dustin Poirier?
This will be Holloway’s final chance to score a victory over “The Diamond.” Poirier will hang up his gloves at the conclusion of UFC 318 in New Orleans on July 19. Holloway hopes to rebound following a brutal knockout loss to Ilia Topuria, while Poirier wants to end his MMA career with a victory in front of his hometown crowd.
Ahead of fight night, a former UFC fighter thinks one key aspect of the trilogy has been overlooked.
Max Holloway’s First Fight Since KO Loss
Current UFC desk analyst Alan Jouban spoke to MMAJunkie.com. Jouban discussed the third fight between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway. He thinks fans have been overlooking how Holloway will absorb damage after being knocked out for the first time in his career by Ilia Topuria.
“Max Holloway is still somewhat in the prime time of his career,” Jouban said. “Dustin Poirier has passed that. But what they’re not taking into account that much is Max Holloway is a guy that was never knocked down in his career, and he just got knocked out very badly. Once that happens, I can tell you from experience, once you’ve been KO’d and TKO’d, your chin is never quite the same. How well does Max absorb those shots in this matchup? He’s always been able to absorb them and wear damage really well. He doesn’t really get buzzed or rocked, and that’s why he has those dogfights in there.”
Jouban believes “Blessed” does have one key advantage over Poirier at this stage in their careers.
“This is the biggest opportunity Max Holloway will ever have to beat Dustin not only because it’s the last fight, but because this is the oldest Dustin Poirier, obviously, that he’s ever fought,” Jouban told MMA Junkie. “Dustin Poirier is now one step out of the door, one foot out the door, and is older in age. Could he have lost a bit of a step in his game and explosiveness and all those things? Yes. That’s a real possibility. That’s why the oddsmakers have Dustin as a small underdog right now.”
BJPenn.com will keep you posted throughout fight week for UFC 318. Check back on our homepage during fight night for live coverage.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
Topics:
Dustin Poirier Max Holloway UFC
