Max Holloway issues classy statement on the influence of ‘legend’ Frankie Edgar

Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar finally shared the cage over the weekend, battling for five, tense rounds in the main event of UFC 240. In the end, Holloway won this fight by unanimous decision, retaining the UFC featherweight title in the process.

In the wake of this bout, Holloway has been vocal about the respect that he feels for his vanquished foe. Speaking on his official Instagram account on Sunday, the featherweight champion summed up his thoughts on Edgar as eloquently as he has yet.

Here’s what he had to say about the New Jersey based MMA star:

“The GOAT talk always makes me cringe,” Max Holloway wrote on Instagram. “Legends can coexist. Frankie was gonna win no matter what last night because I am part Frankie. I am who I am as a father and martial artist because of some of the things I’ve learned from Frankie and coach Mark Henry. Proud to be Hawaiian, proud to be honorary Canadian. But if you know this sport the way us fighters know it, every champ reps a little bit of Jersey whether they like it or not because of these two legends.”

Holloway’s accolades in the Octagon have already led many fans to refer to him as the greatest featherweight in MMA history — although he is adamant he has more work to do before swiping that title from the former champion Jose Aldo.

Frankie Edgar, meanwhile, is also often mentioned when MMA fans discuss the most successful fighters of all time. Despite being grossly undersized for the division, the New Jersey native held the UFC lightweight title from 2010 to 2012. Between the lightweight and featherweight divisions, he has defeated big names like BJ Penn (three times), Gray Maynard (twice), Charles Oliveira, Cub Swanson (twice), Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez.

What do you think of this comment from Max Holloway?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/29/2019.