Max Holloway excited to show skills to whole new audience

Max Holloway. Calvin Kattar. ABC.

The Dubai showdown between two of the UFC’s elite fighters will be aired on ABC on Saturday. It is the first combat-sports telecast on the network since 2000.

“It’s on ABC. I’m excited about the confirmation,” Holloway said by phone from Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon. “Tune in live on ABC. I got something special stored.”

Holloway (21-6, 10 knockouts) didn’t need more motivation for the featherweight (145-pound) matchup. Kattar (22-4, 11 KOs) is on a roll of late, posting a hard-earned decision over Hawaii’s Dan Ige in July. Holloway, 29, and Kattar, 32, are aiming for a title shot. Watching the Kattar-Ige bout did little to change Holloway’s understanding of the “Boston Finisher.”

“Not at all. Nothing new about Kattar. All I know is this guy is doing something right. I can’t wait to go out there and have fun, do what I love,” Holloway said.

Holloway lost close battles with featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski in his prior two bouts. However, he remains the No. 1 contender in the UFC rankings. Kattar is No. 6. The excitement going into this fight has a bit of a Hagler-Hearns vibe.

“That’s pretty cool. He’s from Boston and he’s a boxer. My speciality is striking,” Holloway said. “We can do all the talking in the world, but the beautiful thing is we find out (on Saturday).”

Holloway kept his training methodology similar to the previous one. He has stayed away from sparring during his camp.

“I believe it’s the right time for me to do this in my career. In the NFL, these guys hit and have pads on, and they don’t do full contact hitting during the week. You reach a certain level and you be smart about it,” he said. “Last camp went super good without it. I feel super great and I can’t wait to show the world.”

Before he steps in the cage, there’s the voyage.

“We leave in 12 hours or so. I’m here in Vegas, then we have the 18-hour flight, then a 48-hour quarantine. Two COVID tests,” Holloway said on Thursday.

In the meantime, Steven Muehlhausen’s Twitter feed included a note about Holloway’s desire to battle currently-retired rival Daniel Cormier for “baddest dad on the planet” claim. Holloway expounded on that possibility.

“Everybody knows it’s me and Daniel if he wants to come out of retirement to fight me. He ignores it all the time, so we’ll see what happens,” Holloway said.

He also has a message for Hawaii’s high school student-athletes, who are seeing their sports cancelled by leagues due to the pandemic.

“Stay positive, guys. Tough times don’t last. Tough people do. I know it’s hard for a lot of those kids. A lot of them wait for a chance at scholarships,” Holloway said.

He referred to Miami Dolphins linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, the Kamehameha graduate who played at Eastern Illinois.

“Kamu only started playing in 11th or 12th grade, so it means a lot to them. Stay strong. Hopefully, the state can find a way. If not, make your own way,” Holloway said. “Be the author of your own path.”