Max Holloway, the reigning BMF champion and lightweight contender, is optimistic about defending his title and potentially competing at the UFC White House event next year.
Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White and former President Donald Trump announced a special fight card at the White House lawn for the United States’ 250th anniversary. Several stars, including Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, have expressed interest in participating. Holloway believes his BMF title gives him a strong chance to feature on the card.
Holloway on UFC White House Chances
“We’ll see what happens with the Conor thing, with Jon Jones coming back,” Holloway told Korean Zombie’s YouTube channel. “I think the card idea is cool, but there’s no American champion. The only American champion there is the ‘BMF’ title, so you’re looking at the man. So am I going to be at the card? I like my odds of being on it.”
While Holloway is the only American male champion present, he acknowledged concerns about family attendance.
“But I don’t know too much of really wanting to be on it,” Holloway said. “Because I heard that’s only going to have like 5,000 people on the lawn, and then across the street, they’re going to have like 80,000 people at screens watching and stuff, which is cool, but the 5,000 people, I don’t know if my family would be able to have seats there. So at the end of the day, it kind of sucks not having family members there, especially when I worked my way up so high in the UFC, I’m so used to having them really close, ringside and stuff, and them just being there.”
Holloway also shared insight on his injury and timing for upcoming fights:
“We’ll see what happens. But first thing’s first, just get through this injury, and hopefully I can get a fight early in the year around March, April, and see if I can do a turnaround. If they wait, or if they hold me, it’s so long. I fought Poirier in June, and the card is going to be in June. That would be a long wait for me.”
Potential Matchup Against Oliveira
Looking ahead, Holloway also addressed a possible fight with Charles Oliveira.
“We just have history,” he said. “Oliveira is just like me. We’re in the top of the division, and I’m sure he wants to erase his last fight to Ilia [Topuria], with Ilia being the champ. And that’s my goal, too. … I think he just wants a fight to better his career and get a title fight, and why not me? There’s a BMF title on the line. A lot of people like to consider him one of the BMF’s in the division, and that would be fun, I think.” via MMAFighting
Holloway made his UFC debut in 2012, quickly gaining attention for his volume striking and high output. He captured the UFC featherweight title in 2017 and defended it successfully multiple times, earning the reputation as one of the division’s most dominant champions. After transitioning to lightweight, he won the ceremonial BMF belt from Dustin Poirier in June 2025 at UFC 318. Known for his athleticism and heart, Holloway continues to be a major contender in the lightweight ranks.
