As a number of recent tourists in Hawai'i discovered when they violated quarantine and were arrested, the spirit of Ohana goes both ways - you have to respect the place. During a recent interview with Kevin Iole for Yahoo Sports, former UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway said he trained vis ZOOM for his rematch at UFC 251 vs. new champion Alexander Volkanovski. With his gym shuttered and shelter-in-place orders in effect, "Blessed" did no sparring, and was tele-coached.
Further, Holloway's son Rush, who is in 2nd grade, also needed his tele-learning supervised. And the fighter worked on a charity effort for Hawaiians negatively impacted by the global pandemic; an announcement is expected this week. In sum, it was not a normal camp.
“I’m unrecognizable now with the hair and the mask on, but people in Hawaii see me out there every day and they know where I train,” said Holloway. “I didn’t want to do anything to get my coaches into trouble. That stay-at-home order was serious, and if someone who doesn’t like me saw me coming out of the gym, they could report me and get me into trouble.”
“You’ve heard Dana [White] say it a lot, and he’s right: Fighting is in our DNA. Every one of us has fought at one point in our lives, whether it was a sibling, or a friend or a cousin or someone picking on you at school. Even if it was just fighting the air, we’ve all fought in one way or another.
“The [camp] was different, but it’s not like I forgot how to fight. I know what I need to do, and this is an opportunity because it’s a special event, Fight Island, which people are saying is the biggest event of the year. No other sports are going on and so many eyes are on us. That excites me and I believe I will go out there and put on a show like I do.”
In an interview with John Morgan for MMA Junkie, Holloway expressed supreme confidence that the lack of a full camp would not affect his performance.
“When [Saturday] comes, I get to prove that I’m one of the best guys in the world still, and I just can’t wait. This time, I’m going in there and do my thing, and hopefully we won’t need the judges.”
“I know I’m a champion. I carry myself as a champion, belt or no belt. People see my as a champion, so I’m going to go out there, fight my fight, have the fight of my life, and have fun.”
“I’ve been in the cage with this guy before; I know what he brings to the table. I know a lot of his game. I can’t wait. Going out there, this fight, I got to actually focus on me, focus on my body, focus on recovery, and I feel great, man.
“It’s going to be a sight to see. I guarantee you guys are going to get to see it. Make sure you tune in, only live on ESPN+ pay-per-view. I’ll be there. I’ll be waiting, and it’s going to be a show, I promise.”