Max Holloway says UFC champ Jose Aldo needs to 'get his ass in the cage and do less talking'

UFC featherweight contender Max Holloway just wants to fight. Preferably against a champion or top-ranked opponent. But at this point, he said he doesn’t really care.

Holloway (16-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) is currently in a unique position in the sport. He’s on a red-hot run with nine – nine! – consecutive UFC victories, but still has no idea how close he is to a title shot or what he needs to do to get it.

UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor (20-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) hasn’t fought in the division since winning the title with a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo (25-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at UFC 194 in December. “The Notorious” is weeks away from challenging Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight belt at UFC 205 in New York City, and after that. it’s not clear if he’ll vacate the 145-pound strap or return to the division to defend it.

Aldo, meanwhile, rebounded from the loss to McGregor to capture the interim featherweight belt with a unanimous-decision victory over Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 in July. Since then, however, “Scarface” has been pushing for a rematch with McGregor and butted heads with UFC officials over his fighting future.

That leaves Holloway to wait in the wings. He’s called for all the big fights, yet here he is, still entirely uncertain of what’s next nearly five months removed from a dominant win over Ricardo Lamas at UFC 199 in June.

“I’m a fighter, man; I just want to fight,” Holloway told MMAjunkie Radio. “I don’t care who it is or whatever. I can’t change what they personally feel, but like I said, I got that vaccine for that (expletive)-itis that’s been going around with all these people running away. They got to let me know when they’re ready to fight.”

Although Holloway, No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, might have to display some patience, it’s almost guaranteed the light at the end of the tunnel is a high-profile matchup of some sort. His current winning streak and the caliber of opponents he’s beat along the way are too meaningful to not lead to something significant; it’s just difficult to determine when the mess atop the featherweight division will be sorted.

If it were up to Holloway, though, there’s no question his next fight would be against one of the two men holding UFC gold at his weight. His only loss in the past three-and-a-half years came to No. 1-ranked McGregor at UFC Fight Night 26 in August 2013, so he would like nothing more than to avenge that outcome. However, if the alternative was a bout with one of the sport’s all-time pound-for-pound greats in No. 2-ranked Aldo, that’d also work.

“In a perfect world, if I could fight Conor, that would be great,” Holloway said. “But the person that’s really got my blood boiling is Jose Aldo. He’s (expletive) talking bubbles. I don’t know what he’s talking. I think Conor hit him too hard in that fight, so he’s losing his mind. That guy’s got to get his (expletive) together, get his ass in the cage and do less talking and more fighting.”

Holloway said he understands why a fight with McGregor wouldn’t come together right now since the brash Irishman has what are, quite frankly, loftier opportunities on the horizon. But as far as Aldo goes, Holloway said he has no sympathy for his situation.

Despite the fact he was promised a rematch with McGregor after beating Edgar at UFC 200, the Brazilian was never granted the bout and instead was left on the sidelines as McGregor was booked against Alvarez. That Brazilian vet then threatened retirement, which led to a recent meeting with the UFC brass at the company headquarters in Las Vegas.

Aldo said the meeting didn’t change much regarding his current career outlook – something that, given Aldo’s historically rocky relationship with the UFC, only further infuriates Holloway.

“I respect him, I respect him a lot, but at the end of the day, people keep forgetting how much times he left the UFC high and dry in a main-event slot or a co-main event slot that he was supposed to be because of injuries,” Holloway said. “I know injuries sucks, but it happens more than (expletive) a couple of times, and he had to pull out due to injury or whatever or personal reasons. It is what it is. They remember that kind of stuff.”

Holloway’s main issue is that his opportunity to prove he’s the best featherweight is being delayed by two fighters who may not have a future at 145 pounds. Age isn’t necessarily a concern for the 24-year-old, but he still wants to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.

“My gold belt is going to come, and I know it is,” Holloway said. “My job is winning fights. I’m confident in myself. I know I’m the best guy in the world. … I just can’t wait to go in there and show the world what’s up.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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