Max Holloway has clapped back at UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for criticizing his fight with Justin Gaethje.
Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) told MMA Junkie that he thinks the BMF title fight between Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 300 is useless since it leaves him without an opponent for his next title defense. But Holloway points the finger at Makhachev, who hasn’t competed since knocking out Alexander Volkanovski last October at UFC 294. He finds it laughable that Volkanovski has competed since then but not Makhachev.
“I saw Islam talk about, ‘Oh, this fight makes no sense and blah, blah, blah.’ I’m like, ‘Brother, you should’ve fought Justin in February,'” Holloway said on the “MIGHTYcast” with Demetrious Johnson. “Why did the guy you knocked out turn around so fast and fight in February when you were healthy? You should’ve turned around and came (back in) February. Everybody knows you can’t fight in Ramadan, and that’s why they couldn’t do the fight on 300 with Leon (Edwards) or he couldn’t get another fight, but he’s complaining like, ‘I can’t get fights.’ I’m like, it’s because you’re only fighting around the times that you want to fight. It’s not that you can’t get fights. You’re just not taking the fights that are offered because of certain things going on.
