Max Holloway of Waianae thinks beyond himself, and that’s part of what makes him a great fit as the new face of mixed martial artists from Hawaii.
The bigger part, of course, is that after defeating Cub Swanson by submission on Saturday he has six consecutive wins and is now close to being considered a prime contender in the UFC featherweight division.
Holloway, 23, is 13-3 and hasn’t lost since August 2013, when he fell to top contender Conor McGregor.
Many fighters in Holloway’s position would have used the platform he earned after Saturday’s convincing nationally telecasted win at UFC on FOX 15 to lobby for a shot at a top contender, or even the champ.
Instead, Holloway stumped for the UFC to bring its show to Hawaii — something local fight fans have wanted for years.
With Holloway among eight current UFC fighters from Hawaii, perhaps it makes sense now. It’s something Holloway is passionate about, and he has an excellent idea for an added wrinkle.
"I think it would be great for B.J. (Penn) to come out of retirement for one last hurrah," Holloway said between bites of a loco moco Tuesday after his return from Newark, N.J., where last weekend’s card was held. "I don’t want him to go out the way he did. He did so much for the sport, especially us local guys coming up."
Penn, the MMA pioneer and superstar from the Big Island, is 36 and has not publicly expressed interest in coming out of retirement after hanging up the gloves following his third loss to Frankie Edgar last July.
But it’s an interesting idea, and it would definitely boost a Hawaii UFC card that includes Holloway.
Holloway said UFC president Dana White "kinda brushed it off" when he suggested a Hawaii event in his post-fight comments on Saturday.
That doesn’t mean, however, that his voice wasn’t heard. With another $50,000 bonus for a "Performance of the Night," Holloway has validated his status as a young up-and-comer.
Whether he has the juice to eventually convince White that a venture to the islands would be profitable remains to be seen. But Holloway has thought of answers to some of the usual objections.
With so many current UFC fighters — Travis Browne, Kailin Curran, Russell Doane, Dustin Kimura, Yancy Medeiros, Louis Smolka and Brad Tavares — in addition to Holloway hailing from Hawaii, expenses wouldn’t be as daunting as in the past.
As for venue, Aloha Stadium is likely out because of unpredictable weather and the Blaisdell is too small.
"I think the Stan Sheriff (Center, which seats 10,000) is golden," Holloway said. "And UH could make some money."
We don’t know when we will next get to see him fight, and if it will ever be in a UFC event in Hawaii.
But if you want to meet Max Holloway, he will be at Windward Mall’s center court Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He’s making an appearance for Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii, and all he asks is that you bring a stuffed animal that will go to an under-served keiki.
Like I said, he thinks beyond himself.
Reach Star-Advertiser sports columnist Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com, his "Quick Reads" blog at staradvertiser.com and twitter.com/davereardon.
