Holloway continued his tendency to deliver high output in his bout against Arnold Allen at UFC Kansas City, adding another 147 significant strikes to his record.
Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway is one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, and his record of significant strikes landed is a factor in this. The Hawaiian-born fighter has been known for his impressive striking ability, and his accuracy and precision in landing significant strikes have made him one of the most exciting fighters in the history of the featherweight division.
Throughout his career, Holloway has demonstrated his striking prowess repeatedly throughout his 27 UFC fights, landing a whopping 3122 significant strikes in total.
Holloway’s impressive record of significant strikes landed places at the pinnacle of the top 10 of all-time in the UFC despite only being 31 years old.
What makes Holloway’s record even more impressive is the fact that he achieved it in a relatively short amount of time. He made his UFC debut in 2012 at the age of 20, and it took him only a few years to establish himself among the elite in the featherweight rankings.
Notable fights in terms of strikes landed
One of Holloway’s most notable performances in terms of significant strikes landed came in his fight with José Aldo, who many consider to be the UFC featherweight GOAT. During that fight, Holloway landed a whopping 174 significant strikes. ‘Blessed’ was about to shatter his own record in his very next fight at UFC 231 against Brian Ortega, and by some considerable margin. In that fight, Holloway landed a staggering 290 significant strikes, which surpassed the previous record of 274 set by Nate Diaz in his bout with Conor McGregor.
Holloway’s ability to land significant strikes is a testament to his skill and technique as a striker. He is known for his crisp and accurate striking, using a wide variety of techniques to keep his opponents off balance. His jab is one of his most potent weapons, and he uses it to set up his other strikes and keep his opponents at bay. A prime example of this was on January 16, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, where Holloway squared off against Calvin Katter. Not only did this bout set the all-time UFC record for the most significant strikes landed in a UFC contest at 578, but what’s even more impressive is that 445 of these came from ‘Blessed’ himself. During the bout, Max proclaimed, while eating punches from Kattar while looking at the commentary team, ‘I’m the best boxer in the UFC, baby.’ It’s hard to disagree when you look at the consistency of his striking over the years.
Another factor that has contributed to Holloway’s success in landing significant strikes is his conditioning. He is known for his high pace and work rate, and he is able to maintain his output throughout a fight. This allows him to land significant strikes even in the later rounds, when other fighters may be slowing down.
He has established himself as one of the most successful featherweights in the history of the UFC, and his ability to land significant strikes has played a substantial role in his success. With many years left in his fighting career, it will be exciting to see what records Holloway will continue to break and what new achievements he will accomplish in the Octagon.
How many significant strikes can he reach?
Hard to answer. Despite only being 31 years old, Holloway has already had 31 professional MMA bouts, many of which have been absolute wars. Time will tell how much toll they have taken on his body, but one thing for sure is that if he continues to fight, his record will take some beating. Holloway is currently 300 strikes ahead of number two on the list, Frankie Edgar, who recently announced his retirement at UFC 281 in New York.
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