Anik reveals Holloway told him a decade ago he planned to fight at middleweight

UFC commentator Jon Anik has revealed that Max Holloway told him roughly a decade ago he intended to take a fight at middleweight before retiring — a weight class two divisions above the featherweight limit where Holloway built his reputation. The disclosure adds fresh context to Holloway’s ongoing weight-class journey ahead of his welterweight debut against Conor McGregor at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“Max Holloway said to me 8 or 9 years ago that he was going to take a UFC fight at middleweight before all was said and done,” Anik told Submission Radio. “So I’m fascinated to see how his frame looks on the scale and what he looks like as a UFC welterweight.”

Holloway (27-9) will be competing at 170 pounds for the first time in his career when he faces McGregor (22-6), who is returning after five years away from competition. Some observers have suggested the former featherweight champion could be at a physical disadvantage against the larger McGregor, though Anik’s account suggests Holloway has long harboured ambitions of competing at heavier weights.

The 34-year-old Hawaiian has already demonstrated a willingness to move up the scale. At UFC 300 in 2024, he stepped up to lightweight for a BMF title fight against Justin Gaethje, dismantling him before a last-round knockout that became one of the most celebrated finishes in recent memory. Holloway chose to remain at lightweight after that victory, but a title challenge against Ilia Topuria ended in defeat. He bounced back by defeating Dustin Poirier in what proved to be Poirier’s retirement bout.

Holloway’s run at lightweight ultimately ended this past March when he lost the BMF title to Charles Oliveira. The welterweight assignment against McGregor now represents the next step in what Anik’s recollection suggests has always been a deliberate, long-range plan to test himself across multiple weight classes.