Max Holloway Betting

Max Holloway
Max Holloway

The American MMA fighter Max Holloway is set to end 2018 as the undisputed Featherweight Champion of the UFC division. At the age of 27, his rise up the ranks of Mixed Martial Arts has been rapid and he will also close out the year as the fifth best fighter in pound-for-pound ratings.

He will always attract plenty of support in the betting markets whenever he steps into the octagon and he’s invariably listed as favourite in any UFC betting odds that are made available. If you’re looking to take a punt on this impressive fighter, why not take a moment to have a look back through his career and see if he’s worth backing through 2019 and beyond.

Amateur Career

Little is recorded in regards to Max Holloway’s early career and he turned professional at a very young age. Before he was out of his teenage years, the American had already made an impact in pro MMA fighting and people were ready to take notice.

His amateur performances may not be documented, but we know plenty about the man from the point where he made his professional debut.

Professional Career

At 19 years of age, Holloway had established a 4-0 win record and Max Holloway odds markets were already being swept up by the MMA betting community. He really came to prominence in 2011 when he won on a split decision over one of the most experienced fighters in the sport. Former Strikeforce and WEC Champion Haris Sarimento was the victim as Holloway continued his climb through the ranks.

His potential was recognised very quickly when he became the youngest fighter on the UFC list at UFC 143 in February 2012. His appearance in that event may have come fortuitously, as an injury replacement for Ricardo Lamas, but it was evident that the division had their eye on Max Holloway.

Holloway started as the underdog in the UFC betting odds markets and he was to lose that opening bout – via submission to Dustin Poirier – but he was soon on the path to better things. The American claimed a maiden win in his next bout as he took out Pat Schilling via a unanimous decision.

2012 brought further victories against Justin Lawrence and Leonard Garcia but while the year ended on a high, 2013 produced some setbacks in the developing career of Max Holloway. The year opened with a controversial, split decision loss against Dennis Bermudez at UFC 160 in a fight that most observers felt he had won. Following on was a second consecutive defeat, this time to Conor McGregor by a more obvious margin.

Undeterred, a 23 year old Max Holloway learned a lesson from those reverses and since 2014 he hasn’t looked back. Four straight wins were secured across the year including victories over Will Chope and Andre Fili before Holloway closed out the year with a first round knockout success over the Swedish fighter Akira Corassani.

Max Holloway odds markets came down on the side of the American at this time and he seemed destined to have a shot at a UFC title at some point. He was made to wait however, as 2015 continued in the same dominant fashion with a further four wins in a row. In beating Charles Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 74, Holloway set another record by becoming the youngest fighter to secure 10 wins in the UFC division.

2016 began with a victory over Ricardo Lamas before Max Holloway was lined up for a shot at the UFC Interim Featherweight Championship. Holloway was ahead in the UFC betting odds but his opponent Anthony Pettis had issues with the weigh in and the fight eventually got underway as a catchweight contest.

Holloway came through and would then defeat Jose Aldo in a genuine featherweight battle to become the unified UFC champion at that level. Holloway won by a TKO in the third round and later in 2017 he also claimed the rematch between the two men by the same method at the same stage in the fight.

2018 was a stop-start year for Holloway as he was forced to pull out of two scheduled fights due to injury and illness. A long-awaited battle against Khabib Nurmagomedov had to be shelved but the year ended in positive fashion as he beat Brian Ortega by TKO in the fourth round at UFC 231 to complete a successful defence of his title.

Max Holloway Betting Odds, Markets and Offers

As the sport of mixed martial arts reached the end of 2018, Max Holloway was looking at a record of 20 wins from 23 overall fights. There were three defeats to take the gloss away from that tally but it should be remembered that all of those losses came much earlier in his career – back in 2012 and 2013. For over five years he’s been undefeated and that’s a significant factor as he continues in the UFC division.

Of those 20 wins, 12 finished inside the distance with 10 by knockout and two by submission. The remaining eight went the distance but the trend is for Holloway to end fights early and that’s an important factor for anyone considering the Max Holloway odds markets for upcoming battles.

MMA betting traditionally offers options for the straight result and there is little in the way of prop bets but it is usually possible to take a punt on additional options such as Method of Victory and on whether the fight will go the distance or not. The Method of Victory betting will be split into various categories – KO and TKO plus Submission or Decision while the Method of Victory bet is a simple case of Yes or No.

Use those records from Max Holloway’s time in the octagon and you should have a good chance of making some profits from the UFC betting odds markets moving forward. The American will end the year as the undisputed featherweight champion of the UFC but as a powerful lightweight, could Holloway be looking at a shot at the lightweight title which is currently held by Khabib Nurmagomedov?

The future is uncertain but we’ll certainly be following the career of Max Holloway as it continues to develop and we’ll be bringing you all the latest prices in his battles through 2019 and beyond.