Max Holloway is showing respect to Jose Aldo, who he defeated to capture the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title.
In a statement delivered after his UFC 212 win, Holloway called Aldo a “GOAT.” Speaking with Flo Combat, “Blessed” said he and his team had to come up with the perfect game plan to beat someone as talented as Aldo:
“Different fights with different fighters we approach differently. We had a great game plan for this fight and it came to our favor and showed in the fight. I got the finish and finished a guy who had never been finished in that way before.”
Holloway doesn’t feel this marks the end of Aldo. He believes the former featherweight king still has many miles left in him.
“That thirteen second thing happened and whatever, but I stepped in there and got what I asked for,” he added. “I asked for the best Aldo and that’s what he gave me. And that’s who I finished. At the end of the day it was my night in there. Aldo is the ‘GOAT’ and he’s done a lot of great things and I’m sure he’ll do many more great things, but it’s the ‘Blessed’ era now.”