Max Holloway reveals the UFC fight he wants the most after missing out on Khabib Nurmagomedov

Max Holloway has identified the “next best thing” after being unable to test himself inside the Octagon against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The fan favorite’s next challenge comes in the UFC 326 main event on Saturday, when Holloway will defend his symbolic BMF title for the second time. After ‘Blessed’ beat Dustin Poirier last July, Charles Oliveira will look to take Holloway’s belt when they run it back in Las Vegas.

Beyond that fight, the Hawaiian is eyeing up rematches with Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria. But it is another matchup that Holloway wants to test himself in the most.

Max Holloway would love to test himself against Islam Makhachev

Holloway has always wanted to put his skills up against the best. For part of his career, the biggest challenge out there was a showdown with the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov.

While they were set to collide at UFC 223, Holloway was pulled from the Khabib fight by the commission due to concerns over his weight cut. The Dagestani retired a couple of years later, meaning ‘Blessed’ never got to share the Octagon with ‘The Eagle’.

With that in mind, a new name is in Holloway’s sights as the ultimate test: Khabib’s protege, Islam Makhachev.

“Whatever weight they want to go, brother,” Holloway said when asked by CBS if his Makhachev fight would have to take place at lightweight.

“The question was… ‘Who do you want to test yourself and test your skills against?’ And I mean, we missed the shot with Khabib, so Islam is the next best thing. That would be fun,” he added.