Alex Pereira has won fans over by stepping up on short notice to save big PPV cards this year. He’s not only popular with the audience, but UFC fighter Max Holloway also respects Pereira’s fighting style and his impressive run in the light heavyweight division. Inspired by Pereira, Holloway is also considering moving up a weight class to pursue the same level of success.
Max Holloway endured one of the toughest losses of his career at UFC 308, suffering his first UFC knockout at the hands of featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Following this setback, the Hawaiian fighter announced his decision to leave the 145-pound division and move up to lightweight at 155 pounds. Drawing inspiration from Poatan’s comeback journey after his middleweight title loss to Israel Adesanya, Holloway expressed his determination in a video, saying:
“We saw Alex Pereira get finished… Next fight he fought for a #1 contender spot, [then he] fought for the title and he’s on a spectacular title run. Let’s mimic him. Let’s do it. I get inspiration in that. He’s a beast.”
The Brazilian fighter previously competed in the middleweight division, where he also held the championship title. After his loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 287, Pereira announced his decision to move up to a higher weight class. Since then, he has nearly cleared out the light heavyweight division and captured the title. Now, Holloway is setting his sights on achieving similar success in a higher division, just as Pereira did. Furthermore, Holloway believes that Pereira is likely to earn Fighter of the Year honors for his remarkable performances.
Max Holloway Backs Alex Pereira For 2024 Fighter Of The Year
After setting his sights on replicating Pereira’s success at a higher weight class, Hawaiian fighter Max Holloway recently spoke with Kevin Iole on YouTube, discussing Pereira’s dominance in the UFC. Holloway praised Pereira as the likely Fighter of the Year, noting both of their remarkable performances in 2024. In the interview, he openly shared his thoughts on the light heavyweight champion, saying:
“I mean I don’t know, man. I don’t know that I would do that [laughs]. The way Alex [Pereira] took fights. I mean the fastest guy to defend his title, right, with three title defenses. That’s a hard man to beat. I mean every time I’m in the talks for it, somebody’s having a crazy a** year. I think Alex Pereira has got that win in the bag already.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral MMA stories via Google! Follow Us
The Fighter of the Year announcement typically happens in March or April of the following year, so fans will have to wait for the official reveal. In the meantime, Holloway continues to back the Brazilian fighter, building excitement for Pereira to claim the title.
