I know that I just finished writing an article about how retirements are pretty bogus these days and how most of the retirees end up waltzing back in once they are needed again, but in the case of Max Holloway I believe his retirement will be legit. He's been a household name in MMA for a long time and honestly, isn't much of a draw outside of exhibitions and the BMF belt, which he currently holds.
I'm not a fan of the BMF belt and I don't think Max is either.
I am a fan of both him and Dustin Poirier though, so this upcoming retirement fight in Max's hometown of New Orleans should be a banger.
I find it exceptionally courageous of Max to take on Poirier for his retirement fight because I think that most people would probably agree that Poirier has a slight edge over Max. Many fighters will choose to go out on a win if they can, but in Max's situation, there is quite a good chance that he could get rocked in this thing. you see, this is not the first time these two have met: They have fought 2 times before and Dustin Poirier has won both of those contests.
Max is no slouch and his decision to retire might have something to do with other leagues starting up soon including GFL, that might be willing to offer Holloway a lot of money even though the talent pool over there isn't really top drawer. I don't know exactly why he is leaving but it may have something to do with him not really being part of the conversation anymore in regards to a title in Lightweight, or anywhere else for that matter.
Both of these guys put on exciting performances every time they enter the octagon and they also are not big on trash talking or bad mouthing their opponents. Both of them are rather soft-spoken in interviews and let their fights do the talking for them. Unfortunately, this is probably at least part of the reason why both of them have been sidelined for a while. Poirier spent a lot of time facing off against Conor MCgregor though, and while that payout was probably really nice, it did kind of also take him out of the championship picture as well.
This fight doesn't happen until July 19th, but it should be a winner. I know that I really appreciate it when we have two respectful guys who are legends of the sport face off against one another, even if it is for the stupid BMF belt that nobody, including the fighters themselves, actually gives a damn about.
No screaming at one another at the weigh-ins, no nasty IG posts about the other guy, no trying to get into one another's heads, none of that BS. Just one very skilled fighter against another. Leave it all in the ring!
I suppose we have the BMF belt to thank for this fight though because on paper, there really isn't much reason for this fight to happen otherwise since it doesn't help either of the fighters up in the rankings.
I guess the BMF belt does serve it's purpose though, because once you hold the belt, you are basically guaranteed a big payday when you defend it. One very good thing that could come of this is that if Max wins this fight, that means that NOBODY is the BMF champion at that point and perhaps they can quietly show that meaningless belt the exit.