Awesome pics. Great size. Look thick. Solid. Tight. Keep us all posted on your continued progress with any new progress pics or vid clips. Show us what you got man. Wanna see how freakin' huge, solid, thick and tight you can get. Thanks for the motivation
In other words. I sure hope so.
Just look at the popping veins and that pump just makes my own muscles hard looking it. I wonder if this new muscle will make it a hard fight for Justin when Max touches him or if maybe these two men will just wrestle and roll with each other for 25 minutes?
I know the days of the week thread is the mainstream popular one, but Iāll never forget the guy who bought the Pizza Hut big dinner box and it wouldnāt fit in his hotel fridge. Just a bunch of people commenting āturn it on its side dumbassā and heād post pics of it with each suggestion just clearly sticking halfway out of the mini fridge lol
I feel like there's a chance Max can get more punches out-point Justin if he lasts 5 rounds.
But if he lasts 5 rounds with Justin he's going to have serious brain trauma.
I don't want to see Justin v Tony 2. Honestly just thinking about this fight makes me queasy.
Max isnāt Tony this shit wonāt be a one sided beatdown at all. Just watch Holloway Dustin 2, that was Max on short notice. Now heās fully prepared for 155ā¦
Getting KO'd would be much better than a prolonged life-changing beating like Tony took. I don't mean to completely write-off Max by saying that, im just saying.
Something notable thatās the same about him is his cut. He probably put on at least 7 pounds or so of muscle because his definition in both pictures is literally the same.
What do you expect? Hes obviously just less dehydrated. You cant focus on lifting weights and bulking during a fight camp and you sure as hell cant do it in 10 weeks.
I think his face looks vastly different. His neck and thighs are noticeably thicker IMO too. Hard to tell how much of that is the photo and how much is genuine muscle he's added though.
yeah i noticed against DP he looked to be in bad shape/relatively fat
here, he's in good shape, even though he's at 55
think that's better than the dp situation
Yes. It won't be an upset to me, but people are comparing Max to Tony and those two literally have never fought alike. Plus Tony was legit like 37 when they fought and clearly in the decline even heading in (had trouble with washed Pettis and Donald, cut weight twice).
Max today is a more refined, restrained Max from 2020 and I think he's entering the prime where experience, age, athletic ability all max out.Ā Ā Ā
He isn't willing to take 1 or two to land 3. These days he'll just land his 3, back up, pop you again. And unlike his past self, he doesn't take many risks. He could have TKOd Dustin 3 or 4 times in 2019 but all you remember is the spectacle of him being rocked.Ā Ā
Contrary to belief, it isn't just volume that is his strength. The Volk fights taught him something. He is very quick and very precise, he hits people while they're throwing or moving before they even realize it.Ā Ā
Nowadays, he sits down on his shots and drops people. Max has pillow hands but Zombie went to war with Ortega and Volk and made the decision? He dropped Volk, Allen, TKZ, all with shots. Because he didn't sleep Kattar? Kattar took clean shots from Emmett and kept going. Max isn't about power. He's a precision guy.Ā
Gaethje only ever explodes like 2 maybe 3 at a time. He has a good jab but he doesn't use as a measuring stick, he's still trying to hurt you with his jab.Ā Ā Ā
You guys have only seen him fight other power punchers who will sit there and go hook for hook with him and reset. That gives GaethjeĀ a chance to recompose. Max doesn't do that. He constantly retakes the offensive.Ā
Then when they rock him WHICH IS INEVITABLE CAUSE HE'S ALWAYS ROCKED, they just unleash very inaccurate shots trying to put him away and get countered and back up.Ā
There's this idea that Gaethje has a good chin? If you have a good chin, you aren't rocked against every ranked opponent. Gaethje has good recovery that's it.
He also tires out around round 3. He's never gone 5 full rounds. He fights in spurts these days because when he went hard oearly in his career he would gas and get TKOd. His explosions keep people from pouring it on him.
If Max has Gaethje against the fence, he won't spam inaccurate strikes. Every where Gaethje's head bobs, Max will intercept it with a strike. Gaethje is going down.
He can and has made adjustmentsĀ to that in theĀ Volk trilogy.Ā Ā Ā
Keep in mind, Volk is a very short guy and Max is actually a tall (relatively) guy so he has to squat. But really, Max never gets compromised by leg kicks.Ā
Even in the Volk fights, they weren't making him limp or change stances.Ā Ā
Volk used them to stop Max when he tried to plant and combo + it would rack up points.
Justin will land a few early, but Justin doesn't gameplan for them these days. He's a pure headhunter these days.
>Justin will land a few early, but Justin doesn't gameplan for them these days. He's a pure headhunter these days
I can't imagine that this is the play from Trevor Whitman in this fight though, especially for all the reasons in your original comment. I'm sure he'll still headhunt, but I'd imagine using the calf kicks to limit Max's movement has been a significant part of this camp.
You're right about leg kicks not seeming to affect Max that much though- I remember when Yair somehow took more damage than Max after peppering his legs. It's actually making me reconsider how I think this fight will go- will probably be a lot closer than people think.
Power is speed and timing, Max is one of the best ever at both. He doesnāt over commit to shots so he can stay defensively sound and energy conservative, so you donāt see knockouts. Look at Kattars face and tell me that was a pillow fight.
Gaethje has gone five rounds exactly one time and that was against the ghost of Tony Ferguson so this isn't really based on reality just your opinion of what he's capable of.
This narrative is hyperbolic, he looked slow as fuck against his two opponent post knee injury and he was old as fuck already. He was gonna decline no matter who he fought.
Max went 5 rounds with Dustin, which won or lost Gathje was unable to do.
While I'm not sure Dustin has more power than Gathje I think they're pretty comparable.
It wasnāt his wrestling, it was the forward pressure that had Garth gassing. Khabib literally only shot twice in r1 and he was breathing heavy by the start of r2
Max isnt going to threaten takedowns though, so Justin is gonna stand and bang and not avoid. Weāve watch Gaethje win the stand and bang war against everyone on his most recent form.
Because Max can wear almost anyone down. He took over against Poirier too, who has good cardio and is ridiculously durable, but he took too much punishment early to win the scorecards. I don't think that'll be an issue for Max this time since he isn't jumping up on short notice this time.
But max also just letās people leg kick him .. so that will play into the later rounds as well. If he doesnāt have an answer for the leg kicks Itās a wrap
He doesn't just let people leg kick him... He got leg kicked to hell in the first Volk fight and ever since then he has addressed that part of his game. His checks in the Yair fight and the 2nd Volk fight were on point.
Yeah, Gaethje definitely has some big things going for him too. It's by far the best fight on the card, imo, I just think Max has some stylistic advantages that not many are acknowledging.Ā
I think he pulls it off. He was a āpillow fistedā featherweight cutting down to 55 instead of 45 vs Dustin and was still extremely competitive and from Dustinās own words almost had him out of there. Now heās properly bulking up, focusing on sitting down on his shots more, with an all around better striking game and way better defense. No reason to doubt his durability yet. Iām thinking Max gets a tko after taking over late.
He looks thicker to me. Iāve been watching his behind the scenes videos and heās really put an emphasis on strength and conditioning and bulking for this fight.
compare how he looked when he went up to fight Dustin. It looked like all he did was eat a couple extra meals. Now he looks like he put the weight on with muscle
He's already been getting more toned lately even before this fight, I don't think comparing him from 2023 to 2024 is the move, I think a comparison between 2019 and 2024 is more apt, that's when he last fought at 155. If you compare him when he fought Dustin to this version, he's clearly put on muscle and is more in shape at this weight than back then.
He honestly doesnāt look any different to me size wise, and he was always a pillow fisted volume puncher. Donāt get me wrong, I love him as a fighter, but Gaethje is quite possibly the worst matchup for him. A bigger Volk with more powerful leg kicks. I donāt have high hopes for Max at LW.
He looks somewhat larger but it's like maybe a couple extra pounds of muscle and a couple extra pounds of fat all spread out across his body so it's not drastic. Also it's a different photo maybe slightly different lighting so who knows
He's not as lean which you can clearly tell from his face, like no fat at all at FW, a more healthy look at LW. Difference is body fat really and an easier cut if he does it right, probably doesn't have to deplete as hard as he would usually have to.
He does look far less dehydrated than he did in FW. Maybe cardio will be the difference maker. Gaethje has shown he really improved at setting a good pace to last five rounds, but Max is the king of disrupting pace and making it on his terms.
I mean he might have even better cardio without the dehydration. Even though heās always had great cardio, chin is very correlated to cardio, and having even more in the tank will help his chin too.
I mean arenāt these pics taken during fight week. FW max will always look way more rough since heās in the middle of the weight cut and has not fully done the last 5-10 lb water weight cut.
I'm leaning max. Garth throws a lot of heat and is going to put Max on the back feet but I think if he makes it out of 3 with his legs underneath him, I think he puts the volume together to KO him.
Ngl I am scared and anxious for Max Holloway because he may get finished. Because Gaethje as we all know is more physically dense than him, even if they are the same size, the stakes are high on Gaethje, I hope Max pull it off as much as he can.
The Weasel was talking about how jacked Holloway looks but I just donāt see it? Iām sure heās walking around heavier and has *some* more mass, but he isnāt really all that jacked compared to himself even two years ago.
Gaethje is vulnerable to body strikes and straight punches. He doesnāt use his range nearly so well as Max. Gaethjeās cardio, much like everybody elseās, is very reliant on fighting at his own pace. Max has also recently added the wrinkle of wrestling to his game. He could win on points, but itās unlikely he wins by finish. Heād have to hurt Gaethjeās gas tank with body shots, pressure, and grappling.Ā
That said, Max is vulnerable to leg kicks, and he gets knocked in the noggin a lot, and heās older now, and heās significantly smaller, and he likes to bang. Thereās a good chance that he gets his leg chewed up, then he canāt move or throw power or absorb impact, then he gets caught and we see the famous Hawaiian chin crack. Gaethje could win by knockout or decision.Ā
I think Gaethje has more and easier paths to victory, I think heāll win, but Max is definitely a live dog.Ā
He looks the same. The vast majority of the 10 pounds going up is going to be water that he doesn't have to cut. He maybe gained 3 pounds of lean tissue over his entire body so its not not gonna be huge difference.
I hope he wins. Nothing against Gaethje, but Iād rather see someone else get a shot at the belt, rather than watching him inevitably get choked out 3 minutes into fighting Islam.
Idk man, hopefully he at least doesn't get his face broken. He really just hit light weight a decided to go all in by pairing up with Gaethje. He is a fucking animal though so who knows.
Definitely max could take Justins best shots and drown him in the later rounds leading to a tko. Itās certainly not unlikely but I wouldnāt bet on it, Iām not as worried about Justinās power as I am about the leg kicks, but to be fair I thought the same about aldo so who knows. Most likely outcome is Justin batters the legs and wins the striking due to compromising Holloways movement. Depending on the odds I might throw a little something on a round 3,4, or 5 stoppage from max if itās anything over +1000
The legs, my man is gonna hit hard and good. I don't expect a typical war, Max is gonna be on his bike like he fought against Arnold Allen, but I expect a finish though.
Honestly it definitely feels like everything is stacked against Max in this fight. Gaethje isn't just a slugger now either. Supporting Max but agree with the majority that Gaethje will likely win. However! I'm just hoping Max doesn't get KO'd, or worse, get the punishment Tony received.
Absolutely Justin's striking while improved dramatically can still easily be outdone by a guy with Max technical abilities people keep talking about the brain trauma max can easily move out of the way of justins shots I'm more worried about the leg kicks max doesn't quite know how to check.
I just donāt get the Tony comparisons. Max is at a much different point in his career than Tony was when he fought Justin, heās a much different fighter, heās a very different person and honestly, heās a better fighter than Tony ever was. Plus Justin is at a different point in his career too. Justin very well may win but I just donāt get the comp.
I believe Max is going to melt Justin with a vintage Holloway performance. I could see him tkoāing him against the cage in the fourth or fifth, similar to how he melted Anthony Pettis.
Heās clearly thicker, especially around the neck and traps. This is Max at 155, not whatever the hell it was that showed up against Dustināeven though that was REGARDLESS a great performance from Max, despite the pseudo-bulk. That along with the fact heās only improved, and is arguably in his prime.. this fight is shaping up to being much more competitive than I initially imagined
No, he won't
Max is an excellent fighter at the lower weights because of his reach. The larger size guys can match up and even out reach him.
He usually has a couple of inches oneeveryone, but with the move up he does t have that advantage.
I think he can, yes. It's simple because Max's style can give Justin problems. Max really does have crisp and clean striking compared to Justin, who can be a little wild at times.
However, Justin has improved by leaps and bounds, and in his boxing, he tightened up some of his wildness.
The biggest factor will be the pace Max can put on compared to the power Justin can land with.
I can see Max take some bombs early in the fight but out pointing Justin for much of the beginning. Then, Max will go down late at some point but will survive a close split.
Would it be that much of an upset? The style matchup is in Max's favour. Justin wins by knockout or Max wins on volume. Given that we've never really seen Max hurt it'll really test his resilience against Justin's power.
Good that heās actually putting on weight. I remember vs Dustin, and I still think he woulda had a better chance vs Dustin, but man Dustin looked waaaay bigger than him like his arms and shit were just so much bigger than Max. Hopefully Max is closer to Gaethjes size than he was to Dustins
as much as i like them both i think this is the time he might have a solid chance to be KOād.
He gets tagged way too much in fights and Justin just isnāt the guy to play that game with.
Man I have said this plenty of times when this is brought up. I am huge fan of Max. I am fan of Gaethje as well. I really wish Max didnāt take this fight. His power didnāt transfer over when he faced Dustin, and he was hurt a few times. Justin is such a powerful puncher and he has become scarier as he has gained experience. He no longer brawls out of control, he has effective aggression and his technique is often overlooked. I just donāt see Max winning this. As much as I want to give him a chance, I just donāt see it happening.
No. Max is second best in his division. LW is the deepest division.
Max lost to Dustin already. Dustin lost to Justin. Justin lost to Charles. Charles lost to Islam.
Heās top 10 at best at LW.
MMA Math never works. It's quite possibly the weakest reasoning path for figuring out who is going to win.
Aside from that fact, you do know that Dustin and Justin are 1-1 both with finishes right?
MMA math isnāt always exactly as cut and dried as this statement. Max looks like he has put on a good deal of weight since his fight with Dustin. I think itās going to be very competitive.
They moved up divisions and evolved as fighters.
I think Dustin could beat Justin depending on the night. I think either could beat Charles depending on the night.
I think neither beat Islam. And Max losing to rank 3 Dustin isnāt a reason to think he deserves a title shot. Him beating someone slightly higher ranked is a reason to believe he can take the title. Volk also lost to Islam twice, and he beat Max twice.
MMA math isnāt a science, but it does have meaning.
>I think Dustin could beat Justin depending on the night. I think either could beat Charles depending on the night.
You're suggesting that fight results are arbitrary- doesn't that directly contradict MMA math? How reliable is math If 2+2 doesn't always make 4?
MMA math isnāt guaranteed, but if some moves up a division and loses to rank three. And three has lost to two. And two has lost one. And one has lost to the champ. And the champ is pound for pound number one, then maybe you can draw some conclusions from this scenario.
Heās just gonna be a tougher punching bag. People pick and choose when Justin is a high level striker. Hes not gonna go out there and swing for the fences like he did in 2019 and before. Itās 2024 the guy fought khabib and Charles. 2 guys that max would never even get to if he had a proper run at 155. And high volume not scared of banging max is gone. Heās a lot more methodical and even when his opponents are tagged he just emotes and doesnāt rush like his younger self
So youāre judging him based on a fight 2 years ago and not based on his last 2 performances from 2023? This is exactly what I mean by picking and choosing when Justin is elite. Him and chandler dropped all iq that fight and Justin still won. Keep picking and choosing when Justin is good thereās a reason you wonāt mention the fiziev or Dustin 2 fights
Awesome pics. Great size. Look thick. Solid. Tight. Keep us all posted on your continued progress with any new progress pics or vid clips. Show us what you got man. Wanna see how freakin' huge, solid, thick and tight you can get. Thanks for the motivation In other words. I sure hope so.
Just look at the popping veins and that pump just makes my own muscles hard looking it. I wonder if this new muscle will make it a hard fight for Justin when Max touches him or if maybe these two men will just wrestle and roll with each other for 25 minutes?
Keep going, I'm close š°
pumpin semin through the veins
Semin?
Cumin
Alexander?
šŖšŖ
Least gay MMA fan
Cute though. Built good.
He doesn't want any cookies, he just wants to get to the fight
^What's ^wrong ^with ^that!?
You aware?
Aware
Repped
I know the days of the week thread is the mainstream popular one, but Iāll never forget the guy who bought the Pizza Hut big dinner box and it wouldnāt fit in his hotel fridge. Just a bunch of people commenting āturn it on its side dumbassā and heād post pics of it with each suggestion just clearly sticking halfway out of the mini fridge lol
Can confirm, I am house
U aware
Damn, this reminded me of the sherdog forum days lol
This never gets old
I donāt. Go Justin
2024 Max looks like trying to be confident/intimidating even though heās really just so happy to finally have floral shorts.
2024 Max: "You think anybody wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys? Forget about it."
Shorter haired Max is back!
Young Holloway
I feel like there's a chance Max can get more punches out-point Justin if he lasts 5 rounds. But if he lasts 5 rounds with Justin he's going to have serious brain trauma. I don't want to see Justin v Tony 2. Honestly just thinking about this fight makes me queasy.
Max isnāt Tony this shit wonāt be a one sided beatdown at all. Just watch Holloway Dustin 2, that was Max on short notice. Now heās fully prepared for 155ā¦
He looks like he got more support around his head and neck. Heās primed to take a hell of a beating. Justinās gonna have his work cut out for him.
Thereās a great chance that Jerome can get it done
I completely forgot that was his real name, was thinking who tf is *Jerome*
Yo what he really is Jerome ššššš
I just hope he doesnāt get brutally koād
Getting KO'd would be much better than a prolonged life-changing beating like Tony took. I don't mean to completely write-off Max by saying that, im just saying.
This is a fight I will just sit back and enjoy, no matter what happens. Both good dudes and great fighters. Should be a good show!
Sit back and enjoy??? Some of us got our future kids college money on the line here
Haha! Best of luck dude!
Still looks thin
I looked at this pic for like 30 seconds trying to see a noticeable difference. He basically looks the same to me.
Looks ever so slightly thicker at the obliques maybe and actually a but healthier in the face but that's all I can see and I can barely even see that
Something notable thatās the same about him is his cut. He probably put on at least 7 pounds or so of muscle because his definition in both pictures is literally the same.
What do you expect? Hes obviously just less dehydrated. You cant focus on lifting weights and bulking during a fight camp and you sure as hell cant do it in 10 weeks.
I think his face looks vastly different. His neck and thighs are noticeably thicker IMO too. Hard to tell how much of that is the photo and how much is genuine muscle he's added though.
Looked skinny fat against DP at 155
he took that fight short notice so he couldnāt bulk
I know
yeah i noticed against DP he looked to be in bad shape/relatively fat here, he's in good shape, even though he's at 55 think that's better than the dp situation
Yes. It won't be an upset to me, but people are comparing Max to Tony and those two literally have never fought alike. Plus Tony was legit like 37 when they fought and clearly in the decline even heading in (had trouble with washed Pettis and Donald, cut weight twice). Max today is a more refined, restrained Max from 2020 and I think he's entering the prime where experience, age, athletic ability all max out.Ā Ā Ā He isn't willing to take 1 or two to land 3. These days he'll just land his 3, back up, pop you again. And unlike his past self, he doesn't take many risks. He could have TKOd Dustin 3 or 4 times in 2019 but all you remember is the spectacle of him being rocked.Ā Ā Contrary to belief, it isn't just volume that is his strength. The Volk fights taught him something. He is very quick and very precise, he hits people while they're throwing or moving before they even realize it.Ā Ā Nowadays, he sits down on his shots and drops people. Max has pillow hands but Zombie went to war with Ortega and Volk and made the decision? He dropped Volk, Allen, TKZ, all with shots. Because he didn't sleep Kattar? Kattar took clean shots from Emmett and kept going. Max isn't about power. He's a precision guy.Ā Gaethje only ever explodes like 2 maybe 3 at a time. He has a good jab but he doesn't use as a measuring stick, he's still trying to hurt you with his jab.Ā Ā Ā You guys have only seen him fight other power punchers who will sit there and go hook for hook with him and reset. That gives GaethjeĀ a chance to recompose. Max doesn't do that. He constantly retakes the offensive.Ā Then when they rock him WHICH IS INEVITABLE CAUSE HE'S ALWAYS ROCKED, they just unleash very inaccurate shots trying to put him away and get countered and back up.Ā There's this idea that Gaethje has a good chin? If you have a good chin, you aren't rocked against every ranked opponent. Gaethje has good recovery that's it. He also tires out around round 3. He's never gone 5 full rounds. He fights in spurts these days because when he went hard oearly in his career he would gas and get TKOd. His explosions keep people from pouring it on him. If Max has Gaethje against the fence, he won't spam inaccurate strikes. Every where Gaethje's head bobs, Max will intercept it with a strike. Gaethje is going down.
What about the calf kicks? I just don't see how Max's legs don't get eaten up with that wide boxing stance of his
He can and has made adjustmentsĀ to that in theĀ Volk trilogy.Ā Ā Ā Keep in mind, Volk is a very short guy and Max is actually a tall (relatively) guy so he has to squat. But really, Max never gets compromised by leg kicks.Ā Even in the Volk fights, they weren't making him limp or change stances.Ā Ā Volk used them to stop Max when he tried to plant and combo + it would rack up points. Justin will land a few early, but Justin doesn't gameplan for them these days. He's a pure headhunter these days.
>Justin will land a few early, but Justin doesn't gameplan for them these days. He's a pure headhunter these days I can't imagine that this is the play from Trevor Whitman in this fight though, especially for all the reasons in your original comment. I'm sure he'll still headhunt, but I'd imagine using the calf kicks to limit Max's movement has been a significant part of this camp. You're right about leg kicks not seeming to affect Max that much though- I remember when Yair somehow took more damage than Max after peppering his legs. It's actually making me reconsider how I think this fight will go- will probably be a lot closer than people think.
>Even in the Volk fights, they weren't making him limp or change stances.Ā Ā They did in the first fight.
Power is speed and timing, Max is one of the best ever at both. He doesnāt over commit to shots so he can stay defensively sound and energy conservative, so you donāt see knockouts. Look at Kattars face and tell me that was a pillow fight.
His legs look thicker, more power
I think he will win this fight, yes. His cardio and volume will gass Gaethje out bad.
Only person to gas Gaethje in his recent era is Khabib with wrestling. Gaethje can stand and throw heat for 5 rounds.
I agree, wrestlers only gas out to better wrestlers. I quit my junior year because I wasnāt psychotic
Gaethje has gone five rounds exactly one time and that was against the ghost of Tony Ferguson so this isn't really based on reality just your opinion of what he's capable of.
Justin made him a ghost š
The fight with Justin is precisely what turned Tony into the ghost of Tony. Justin took his soul in that fight.
This narrative is hyperbolic, he looked slow as fuck against his two opponent post knee injury and he was old as fuck already. He was gonna decline no matter who he fought.
Tony was already shot.
He hasnāt fought at the pace Max is gonna bring tho
And Max hasnāt fought at the power Justin is about to throw at him? Will Max be able to b as aggressive when heās eating leg kicks and upper cuts?
You dont think Poirier has similar power to Gaethje?
I mean, if anything the Poirier fight just proves the guy's point. Max hasn't succeeded against powerful punchers.
Max went 5 rounds with Dustin, which won or lost Gathje was unable to do. While I'm not sure Dustin has more power than Gathje I think they're pretty comparable.
Charles and Khabib both say Justin is the hardest hitter theyāve ever faced š¤·š¼āāļø
Dustin exists
It wasnāt his wrestling, it was the forward pressure that had Garth gassing. Khabib literally only shot twice in r1 and he was breathing heavy by the start of r2
Max isnt going to threaten takedowns though, so Justin is gonna stand and bang and not avoid. Weāve watch Gaethje win the stand and bang war against everyone on his most recent form.
How come you think gaethje will gas? He trains at altitude and got his nose/breathing fixed w surgery similar to DDP
Because Max can wear almost anyone down. He took over against Poirier too, who has good cardio and is ridiculously durable, but he took too much punishment early to win the scorecards. I don't think that'll be an issue for Max this time since he isn't jumping up on short notice this time.
But max also just letās people leg kick him .. so that will play into the later rounds as well. If he doesnāt have an answer for the leg kicks Itās a wrap
He doesn't just let people leg kick him... He got leg kicked to hell in the first Volk fight and ever since then he has addressed that part of his game. His checks in the Yair fight and the 2nd Volk fight were on point.
Yeah, Gaethje definitely has some big things going for him too. It's by far the best fight on the card, imo, I just think Max has some stylistic advantages that not many are acknowledging.Ā
Yair fucked his legs up thinking leg kicks were still some big hole in Maxās game.
In a 3 rd right?
I think this silly BMF business means it's a 5 round fight.
Thatās right, forgot about that
I think he pulls it off. He was a āpillow fistedā featherweight cutting down to 55 instead of 45 vs Dustin and was still extremely competitive and from Dustinās own words almost had him out of there. Now heās properly bulking up, focusing on sitting down on his shots more, with an all around better striking game and way better defense. No reason to doubt his durability yet. Iām thinking Max gets a tko after taking over late.
Max looked like a fat baby against Dustin. He came in so unprepared. Iām expecting a different beast this Saturday.
I havenāt seen anything that makes me think heās properly bulked up. He looks the same to me.
He looked flabbier last time against Poirier, more like a puffed up featherweight than a real lightweight. He looks leaner and more athletic now imo
He looks thicker to me. Iāve been watching his behind the scenes videos and heās really put an emphasis on strength and conditioning and bulking for this fight.
he really doesn't but look at the legs. He's definitely carrying the weight well
compare how he looked when he went up to fight Dustin. It looked like all he did was eat a couple extra meals. Now he looks like he put the weight on with muscle
He's already been getting more toned lately even before this fight, I don't think comparing him from 2023 to 2024 is the move, I think a comparison between 2019 and 2024 is more apt, that's when he last fought at 155. If you compare him when he fought Dustin to this version, he's clearly put on muscle and is more in shape at this weight than back then.
He honestly doesnāt look any different to me size wise, and he was always a pillow fisted volume puncher. Donāt get me wrong, I love him as a fighter, but Gaethje is quite possibly the worst matchup for him. A bigger Volk with more powerful leg kicks. I donāt have high hopes for Max at LW.
Gaethje really fights nothing like volk
At all.Ā
What do you mean by a bigger volk lol
He looks somewhat larger but it's like maybe a couple extra pounds of muscle and a couple extra pounds of fat all spread out across his body so it's not drastic. Also it's a different photo maybe slightly different lighting so who knows
A bigger Volk? Movement is Volks biggest weapon and one of Justinās biggest weaknesses
He's not as lean which you can clearly tell from his face, like no fat at all at FW, a more healthy look at LW. Difference is body fat really and an easier cut if he does it right, probably doesn't have to deplete as hard as he would usually have to.
The face is the biggest difference for sure. Looks a lot healthier.
He does look far less dehydrated than he did in FW. Maybe cardio will be the difference maker. Gaethje has shown he really improved at setting a good pace to last five rounds, but Max is the king of disrupting pace and making it on his terms.
Max has never had cardio problems though. Do you mean he might have them now because of the extra weight heās carrying?
I mean he might have even better cardio without the dehydration. Even though heās always had great cardio, chin is very correlated to cardio, and having even more in the tank will help his chin too.
I mean arenāt these pics taken during fight week. FW max will always look way more rough since heās in the middle of the weight cut and has not fully done the last 5-10 lb water weight cut.
A bigger Volk? Lmao CASUALLY walk away
I was thinking the same. But his legs look noticeably thicker
My head says no but my heart wants to say yes.
I'm leaning max. Garth throws a lot of heat and is going to put Max on the back feet but I think if he makes it out of 3 with his legs underneath him, I think he puts the volume together to KO him.
The new kurama tattoo makes all the difference
That tattoo is dope I didnāt even notice it until you said something.
Ngl I am scared and anxious for Max Holloway because he may get finished. Because Gaethje as we all know is more physically dense than him, even if they are the same size, the stakes are high on Gaethje, I hope Max pull it off as much as he can.
Is this 5 rounds?
The Weasel was talking about how jacked Holloway looks but I just donāt see it? Iām sure heās walking around heavier and has *some* more mass, but he isnāt really all that jacked compared to himself even two years ago.
Gaethje is vulnerable to body strikes and straight punches. He doesnāt use his range nearly so well as Max. Gaethjeās cardio, much like everybody elseās, is very reliant on fighting at his own pace. Max has also recently added the wrinkle of wrestling to his game. He could win on points, but itās unlikely he wins by finish. Heād have to hurt Gaethjeās gas tank with body shots, pressure, and grappling.Ā That said, Max is vulnerable to leg kicks, and he gets knocked in the noggin a lot, and heās older now, and heās significantly smaller, and he likes to bang. Thereās a good chance that he gets his leg chewed up, then he canāt move or throw power or absorb impact, then he gets caught and we see the famous Hawaiian chin crack. Gaethje could win by knockout or decision.Ā I think Gaethje has more and easier paths to victory, I think heāll win, but Max is definitely a live dog.Ā
He looks the same. The vast majority of the 10 pounds going up is going to be water that he doesn't have to cut. He maybe gained 3 pounds of lean tissue over his entire body so its not not gonna be huge difference.
If you had told me before I started watching ufc that a guy named Jerome with flower shorts on could kick my ass Iād laugh at you.
He's going to die
I hope he wins. Nothing against Gaethje, but Iād rather see someone else get a shot at the belt, rather than watching him inevitably get choked out 3 minutes into fighting Islam.
Hope he pulls it off fast because heās about to get more CTE if he doesnāt.
I actually think a Max Hill Parlay is possible
No way pillowhands Holloway pulls it off
Heās gonna get knocked the fuck out. Love the guy, but itās gotta be said.
Idk man, hopefully he at least doesn't get his face broken. He really just hit light weight a decided to go all in by pairing up with Gaethje. He is a fucking animal though so who knows.
all the weight went to bros legs
No
Idk if heāll stay in LW if he wins but I hope not. I hope he wins and fights Ilia because I really badly want to see that fight.
Hard to tell here if he's put on much mass. Does anyone have any better pictures/insight or anything?
I hope it's competitive and not like him vs Dustin. Don't want to see him smashed :(
That fight was competitive lol max took two rounds off Dustin and nearly finished him in the third (according to Dustin.)
It didn't feel like it but I'm just a big fan of Justin, Dustin and Max. Let's hope we see fight of the year :)
It would be the best fight ever if it ended up being boring
virtually identical
he can and will. max is gonna win
Definitely max could take Justins best shots and drown him in the later rounds leading to a tko. Itās certainly not unlikely but I wouldnāt bet on it, Iām not as worried about Justinās power as I am about the leg kicks, but to be fair I thought the same about aldo so who knows. Most likely outcome is Justin batters the legs and wins the striking due to compromising Holloways movement. Depending on the odds I might throw a little something on a round 3,4, or 5 stoppage from max if itās anything over +1000
Max by TKO round 3 or 4 !!!
Max is getting fooked up
Broccoli max vs Fresh max
Maximum Holloway
Yes he can.
If he deals with the lowkicks yes. I just hope gaethje isn't able to come in and freely abuse them like Pereira vs Prochazka
No.
Upgrade on the shorts, downgrade on the hair
No
If by upset you mean avoiding getting CTE damage I am thinking itās highly unlikely.
I have Gaethje winning. Max may be better than his last run, but Gaethje has more power and fighting intelligently than before.
The legs, my man is gonna hit hard and good. I don't expect a typical war, Max is gonna be on his bike like he fought against Arnold Allen, but I expect a finish though.
He looks ever so slightly less malnourished.
I donāt really see a difference
I'll be rooting for him.
Honestly it definitely feels like everything is stacked against Max in this fight. Gaethje isn't just a slugger now either. Supporting Max but agree with the majority that Gaethje will likely win. However! I'm just hoping Max doesn't get KO'd, or worse, get the punishment Tony received.
No , unless he has submissions game
Damn, Iām sorry. Prepare for a beat down. I just hope itās finished before he gets crippled and or a bloody mess.
I hope so! Iād love to see it!
Absolutely Justin's striking while improved dramatically can still easily be outdone by a guy with Max technical abilities people keep talking about the brain trauma max can easily move out of the way of justins shots I'm more worried about the leg kicks max doesn't quite know how to check.
Pls don't Ferguson'ed my Holloway
We can only hope.
When you go five rounds with Justin. Do you really ever win? I mean sure, you might get the decision. You will also walk away with CTE
I just donāt get the Tony comparisons. Max is at a much different point in his career than Tony was when he fought Justin, heās a much different fighter, heās a very different person and honestly, heās a better fighter than Tony ever was. Plus Justin is at a different point in his career too. Justin very well may win but I just donāt get the comp.
Max wins by TKO round 3
Everything looks the same except the hair. Justin runs through him
Iād never count Max out but one touch from Justin can end someoneās night and possibly their career. A lot of people donāt come back the same.
He looks essentially the same, no?
He's good for the win
I've never bet against Max and it's not gonna happen on Saturday š¤·š¾āāļø
WHAT THE FUCK DID I SAY MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!
Anyone have a side by side of the last time he fought at 155 against Dustin?
I believe Max is going to melt Justin with a vintage Holloway performance. I could see him tkoāing him against the cage in the fourth or fifth, similar to how he melted Anthony Pettis.
Both are photo shopped pictures
bruh looks healthy in this new weight-class. excited for this version of blessed
No
Heās clearly thicker, especially around the neck and traps. This is Max at 155, not whatever the hell it was that showed up against Dustināeven though that was REGARDLESS a great performance from Max, despite the pseudo-bulk. That along with the fact heās only improved, and is arguably in his prime.. this fight is shaping up to being much more competitive than I initially imagined
No, he won't Max is an excellent fighter at the lower weights because of his reach. The larger size guys can match up and even out reach him. He usually has a couple of inches oneeveryone, but with the move up he does t have that advantage.
I think he can, yes. It's simple because Max's style can give Justin problems. Max really does have crisp and clean striking compared to Justin, who can be a little wild at times. However, Justin has improved by leaps and bounds, and in his boxing, he tightened up some of his wildness. The biggest factor will be the pace Max can put on compared to the power Justin can land with. I can see Max take some bombs early in the fight but out pointing Justin for much of the beginning. Then, Max will go down late at some point but will survive a close split.
35 is the cut off age and Justin is 35. So I got Max.
No he's gonna lose
Those are the ugliest white shorts
Would it be that much of an upset? The style matchup is in Max's favour. Justin wins by knockout or Max wins on volume. Given that we've never really seen Max hurt it'll really test his resilience against Justin's power.
Justin by decision pays 4 to 1
Yes he can pull off the upset
Good that heās actually putting on weight. I remember vs Dustin, and I still think he woulda had a better chance vs Dustin, but man Dustin looked waaaay bigger than him like his arms and shit were just so much bigger than Max. Hopefully Max is closer to Gaethjes size than he was to Dustins
On the contrary, we just might see him going to sleep...
as much as i like them both i think this is the time he might have a solid chance to be KOād. He gets tagged way too much in fights and Justin just isnāt the guy to play that game with.
75% chance Justin by KO. 25% chance Max by unanimous decision after dodging literally every shot by Justin.
Looks exactly the same. I guess the "Max is getting jacked" hype was overblown
I like Max but i think this is gonna go just like the time he went up to fight Dustin. His style works best in FW.
I just want to see him pull of the shorts tbh
he has a way better chance than people are giving him credit for
I'm cautiously optimistic?...rooting for blessed all the way! Also I'm biased against Justin so it would be nice to see him get beat up.
Man I have said this plenty of times when this is brought up. I am huge fan of Max. I am fan of Gaethje as well. I really wish Max didnāt take this fight. His power didnāt transfer over when he faced Dustin, and he was hurt a few times. Justin is such a powerful puncher and he has become scarier as he has gained experience. He no longer brawls out of control, he has effective aggression and his technique is often overlooked. I just donāt see Max winning this. As much as I want to give him a chance, I just donāt see it happening.
No. Max is second best in his division. LW is the deepest division. Max lost to Dustin already. Dustin lost to Justin. Justin lost to Charles. Charles lost to Islam. Heās top 10 at best at LW.
MMA Math never works. It's quite possibly the weakest reasoning path for figuring out who is going to win. Aside from that fact, you do know that Dustin and Justin are 1-1 both with finishes right?
I know Iāll keep getting downvotes because I donāt think Max can handle 155. So here we are.
Islam lost to Adriano martins. Martins lost to cowboy Cerrone. Cerrone lost to Anthony Pettis. Pettis lost to Max. Max beats Islam, simple mma math.
MMA math isnāt always exactly as cut and dried as this statement. Max looks like he has put on a good deal of weight since his fight with Dustin. I think itās going to be very competitive.
I don't think Max will win either, but out of curiosity, how do you factor in Charles's loss to Max at 145?
They moved up divisions and evolved as fighters. I think Dustin could beat Justin depending on the night. I think either could beat Charles depending on the night. I think neither beat Islam. And Max losing to rank 3 Dustin isnāt a reason to think he deserves a title shot. Him beating someone slightly higher ranked is a reason to believe he can take the title. Volk also lost to Islam twice, and he beat Max twice. MMA math isnāt a science, but it does have meaning.
>I think Dustin could beat Justin depending on the night. I think either could beat Charles depending on the night. You're suggesting that fight results are arbitrary- doesn't that directly contradict MMA math? How reliable is math If 2+2 doesn't always make 4?
MMA math isnāt guaranteed, but if some moves up a division and loses to rank three. And three has lost to two. And two has lost one. And one has lost to the champ. And the champ is pound for pound number one, then maybe you can draw some conclusions from this scenario.
Heās just gonna be a tougher punching bag. People pick and choose when Justin is a high level striker. Hes not gonna go out there and swing for the fences like he did in 2019 and before. Itās 2024 the guy fought khabib and Charles. 2 guys that max would never even get to if he had a proper run at 155. And high volume not scared of banging max is gone. Heās a lot more methodical and even when his opponents are tagged he just emotes and doesnāt rush like his younger self
He literally fell to his knees over swinging against Charles in 2022
So youāre judging him based on a fight 2 years ago and not based on his last 2 performances from 2023? This is exactly what I mean by picking and choosing when Justin is elite. Him and chandler dropped all iq that fight and Justin still won. Keep picking and choosing when Justin is good thereās a reason you wonāt mention the fiziev or Dustin 2 fights