After setting UFC milestone, Max Holloway wants a fifth UFC fight in 2014

Max Holloway is the youngest fighter in history to reach 10 career UFC bouts. The 22-year-old accomplished the feat with a victory at UFC Fight Night 53 earlier this month, and now he wants to continue that momentum with another octagon appearance this year.

Holloway (11-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has already graced the UFC octagon four times in 2014. He’s undefeated in that stretch and stopped all his opponents by knockout or submission.

It’s a Donald Cerrone-esque resume for one calendar year, but Holloway hopes it’s not over yet. With a vacation planned for late December, Holloway said he would be ready for, and hopes to get, another fight this year.

“I’m going to take a vacation at the end of the year, so if the UFC wants to book me for before my vacation, I’m down for that,” Holloway told MMAjunkie. “Whatever the UFC wants. If they put me in there, they put me in there. If not, I’ll get back to work next year.”

Holloway knocked out Akira Corassani at UFC Fight Night 53 for his second UFC victory in a 41-day stretch. He defeated Clay Collard at UFC Fight Night 49 less than two months prior, also by knockout.

Fighting twice so quickly is a difficult task both physically and mentally. Holloway thrived under the circumstances, though, and came out with two wins and a $50,000 fight-night bonus for his finish of Corassani.

“It was quick turnaround, but I kind of liked it,” Holloway said. “I’m a fighter. I love to fight. I believe this is what I was put on this earth to do. I enjoy it, and I really love it. They say to go find something that you really love so you don’t have to work another day in your life, and this is what I love.”

Holloway has always been comfortable as a striker, but his standup has really excelled in recent performances. The finish of Corassani marked the first time Holloway stopped an opponent in the first round during his UFC career, and he credits it to giving increased attention to his punching power.

“It was a long time since I got a knockout in the first round; the last was my second professional fight,” Holloway said. “I’m young, and I’m still growing. This camp I added a lot of power punching stuff. I did a lot of that with my striking coach. I want that knockout power, and it seems to be paying off. You saw the outcome.”

Holloway’s 2014 run is the opposite of the year prior. He went winless in 2013 and suffered back-to-back losses against top featherweight contenders Conor McGregor and Dennis Bermudez. Blessed” was competitive in both fights, which proved only minor adjustments were necessary to achieve different results.

“I had that horrible year last year with two losses back-to-back, and I reinvented myself this year,” Holloway said. “I’ve been in the gym training hard, changed some stuff, added some stuff, and it’s been nothing but a positive outcome.”

While the losses are a black mark on Holloway’s record, he took many positives from both fights. He’s the only UFC fighter to make it past the first round against McGregor, and he was arguably robbed of a victory against Bermudez, who is currently riding a seven-fight UFC winning streak.

Holloway isn’t the type to obsess over a fight result. However, he does know he’s still very young and will have plenty of time to seek rematches.

“The losses are what they are,” Holloway said. “You can’t change it. It’s only a loss if you didn’t learn anything from it. I learned a lot from both of those fights last year. The only thing I think about for the future is rematches with the guys I lost to. It’s going to be a great day when I get to avenge all of those rematches.”

For now, Holloway is patiently waiting for the UFC to call with his next assignment. The humble Hawaiian refuses to ruffle any feathers or name names in search of his next opponent. If he does have one request, though, it’s to share the octagon with someone who presents the worst, most difficult, style matchup possible.

“I’m down for anybody, anytime, anywhere,” Holloway said. “I’m not going to run from anyone. The UFC calls and I accept the fights. Everyone talks about how they’re all this and that, but they don’t take fights. If a matchup doesn’t look great for me, I want to take it even more because I want to prove to the world I belong here and I should be at the top of the UFC.

“I’m here to get paid and support my family and keep climbing the rankings. Hopefully one day soon I’ll be fighting for that gold.”

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