Max Holloway confirms he's training for Conor McGregor fight, discusses Charles Oliveira loss

Many believed Holloway would knock out "Do Bronx" in a thriller. Instead, Oliveira lorded his grappling dominance. Oliveira couldn't finish his fellow former UFC champion, but he netted nearly 21 minutes of control over five rounds.

The fight sparked a lot of community debate. Some shunned Oliveira for not obliging the all-action ethos of a BMF fight. Others mocked Holloway's inability to get off the mat. Holloway won't make any excuses for either man's performance.

"Charles went out there, he did his thing, and it was his night," Holloway said. "One thing I hate is when I've had a great showing, nobody talks about how good I was. They went on talking about how bad [the other person] was.

"In my coming-out fight against Cub Swanson. Everybody said Cub had an off night. It irritated me. Maybe something happened, and he wasn't his best version, but he made no excuses, and that's why I have nothing but love for Cub."

Oliveira was noticeably bigger and stronger than Holloway on fight night, despite both men previously competing at featherweight. He's also one of the best grapplers in UFC history. Yet Holloway shouldered much of the online criticism.

"If people think my wrestling sucks, you know, they're gonna think my wrestling sucks," Holloway said. "I'm not going to change their mind. I just gotta go out there and prove, you know, you're only as good as your last fight."

The loss only fueled Holloway's hunt for McGregor. People seem to forget who Holloway is -- the man who knocked out Jose Aldo twice and flatlined Justin Gaethje with a buzzer beater. His record for total significant strikes landed is still growing and will likely never be broken. If he can get McGregor to the finish line -- itself a minor miracle -- Holloway is itching to remind everyone why the best is "Blessed."

"Mixed martial arts is the hardest sport because you fight once or twice a year. If you're lucky, four times a year," he said. "If Lebron James or Steph Curry have an off night on a Wednesday, they have a game on Friday to make everybody forget... Hopefully, I can get another fight and right my wrongs."

As Holloway mapped out his comeback campaign, a childhood dream of his came true. Holloway is the Ultimate Edition cover star for the next UFC video game. Holloway is often gaming and streaming to his fans when he isn't tallying record Octagon numbers. He savors the meaning of being a video game cover star more than most.

"At the beginning of my career, I actually used some of the UFC game combos in real life," Holloway recalled. "It's crazy, man, to be here and on the cover. You dream of this as a kid."