"Weight drained" Lol Max had beaten every other featherweight he fought in the 10 years prior aside from Volkanovski until he ran into Topuria. He had 6+ months to adjust back down to FW after UFC 300, Max didn't make any complaints or excuses and neither should his fans.
Yeah, but at a younger age.
Max is now 33.
Marvin Hagler, perhaps the greatest MW boxer of all time, remained @ Middleweight his entire career — but he lost to Leonard when he was 33 years of age.
At 5'9", Hagler was too small to move up to super middleweight or LHW.
As good as Max Holloway is, he is no Marvin Hagler.
Max is now 33, and moving up to LW is a good decision.
99.99% of fighters, who continue their career after their early 30s,
have to move up it's not really an option.
Back to boxing —
Another Middleweight great, Bernard Hopkins, had a body type similar to Holloway. He LOST his MW championship in 2005, when he was 40 years old. It's unprecedented what Hopkins did.
He continued to fight (and win) @ LHW after that, finally getting KO'd at 51 years of age.
Back to Max Holloway ...
Citing his accomplishments "
in his 20s", and (now) early 30s, has nothing to do with the reality
Max is getting older.
Moving up from 145 to 155 makes sense for Max, a tall, long fighter.
For Ilia, a tiny man by comparison, still in his mid-late 20s, moving up is premature and stupid.
Ilia should try to compete in his "lowest/best weight," for as long as he can.
History has shown MOST fighters start losi
ng regularly, the moment they move up in weight after their prime.
