Has the lightweight division found its next superstar? With Dustin Poirier’s defeat at the hands of Max Holloway, the landscape is shifting fast, and ‘Blessed’ is in the eye of the storm. After flatlining Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 and now defeating Poirier at UFC 318, Holloway looks downright unstoppable at 155 lbs. His rise is undeniable, and with Alexander Volkanovski now backing his title push against Ilia Topuria, the ‘Blessed Era’ might be heading for championship gold once again.
For those who don’t know, Max Holloway has held every belt the UFC has ever created, from the classic gold-laced design to the sleek new version, and even the coveted BMF title. ‘Blessed’ truly has it all in his collection. The only thing left for him now is to capture one more belt and end his career on a high note, and guess what? It looks like that moment might be just around the corner.
His former foe, Alexander Volkanovski, has come forward to support his rematch against Ilia Topuria as he took to his YouTube handle to say, “Max has beaten Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, who just fought for the title. So he literally beat two top guys — the main guys that you need to beat to usually get the title shot. That’s his only fight in lightweight. You’d say he would be next. You would think so.”
Max Holloway has certainly proved his worth in the lightweight division with his victories over the likes of Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, but is he close to the title? Well, even Dana White believes so. At the UFC 318 presser, the UFC CEO claimed that ‘Blessed’ might be close to a re-match against ‘El Matador.’ “I think he’s in a great position right now. He just defended that BMF title; he’s ranked No. 4 there. Anything is possible for Max right now,” said Dana White.
Alexander Volkanovski wouldn’t be surprised at all if Max Holloway fights for the lightweight title next.
“Max has beat Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, who just fought for the title. So he literally beat two top guys — the main guys that you need to beat to usually get… pic.twitter.com/1i9lBtVnQt
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 20, 2025
Dana White’s statement spells bad news for Justin Gaethje, who has been doing everything he can to earn a title shot. With Arman Tsarukyan and Max Holloway leading the charge, ‘The Highlight’ may have to put his championship ambitions on hold for now. Interestingly, ‘Blessed’ has sent a clear message to Ilia Topuria after his amazing victory at UFC 318.
Max Holloway sends a chilling reminder to Ilia Topuria
When you’ve defeated two of the biggest names in the lightweight division, you just speak, and people listen. That’s exactly what happened at the UFC 318 presser, where Max Holloway stole the show with his words. When Carlos Contreras Legaspi of the Championship Rounds asked Max Holloway about running it back with Ilia Topuria, he had a single response: “For doing what he did to me. The first man to [knock me out]. Of course, I want revenge.”
His performance at UFC 318 certainly ignited his willingness to exact revenge against Ilia Topuria, but he didn’t stop there.“He has names, and he beat the names — you can’t deny that. It just sucks with everything that was going on with that Volk fight… people are just looking at the name and not the record. Charles was on a 1-fight win streak. At the end of the day, they’re just names. UFC is lining them up and he’s just knocking them down.”
Max Holloway doubled down on his criticism of Ilia Topuria, and with this banter, he may have just opened another portal for a rematch against the lightweight champion. But will the UFC book this fight next? We’ll have to wait and see what UFC CEO Dana White decides to do.
The post Max Holloway Given Ilia Topuria Title Push as Justin Gaethje Faces Reality Check appeared first on EssentiallySports.
