Tag: Max Holloway

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Usman, Volkanovski, Nunes after UFC 245?

See who champs Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski, Amanda Nunes and UFC 245’s other big winners should fight next.

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 245’s key winning fighters.

Those wins including [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC), who defended his welterweight title for the first time against Colby Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as well as champs [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC), [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and big winners [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC), [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and [autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC).

* * * *

Geoff Neal

Should fight: [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]

Santiago Ponzinibbio

Why they should fight: Neal continued to thrive to begin his UFC tenure when, in his most high profile fight to date, he turned in his most impressive performance with a 90-second TKO of Mike Perry.

Neal destroying the fan favorite opened a lot of eyes in the MMA world, and now he is very much deserving a big fight in the welterweight division. He’s the first fighter in the weight class to start 5-0 in the octagon since Usman, and that should say a lot about his potential.

On the broadcast, commentator Daniel Cormier suggested a matchup with Ponzinibbio (27-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who is on a seven-fight winning streak but has been out of action since November 2018. It appears he’s back training now, though, and if healthy, a showdown against Neal has the potential for dazzling results.

Petr Yan

Should fight: Marlon Moraes

Marlon Moraes

Why they should fight: Yan added a signature win to his resume when he picked UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber apart for more than two rounds before ending it with strikes in the third to improve to 6-0 inside the octagon.

It has seemed like Yan’s basically been in cruise control for most of his octagon tenure. He’s yet to have an opponent to push him to the brink, and usually when that happens, a title shot is in order.

Unfortunately for Yan, though, he still lacks the name value of other bantamweight contenders, and with Henry Cejudo holding both the 135-pound and flyweight titles, Yan’s chances of being selected to challenge for the title out of all the possible options seems grim. That’s just reality.

Yan is a fighting machine, though, and there’s no question he’ll take another fight to strengthen his profile. Moraes is the perfect top contender.

Marlon Moraes

Should fight: Petr Yan

Petr Yan

Why they should fight: Moraes got the split decision nod over Jose Aldo just minutes after Yan got his victory. Right then, the stars seemingly aligned for a matchup.

Moraes is trying to get back to a bantamweight title shot after losing to Cejudo in his first opportunity at UFC 238 in June. He was doing extremely well in that matchup, but then Cejudo made a brilliant strategic adjustment and got himself back in the fight.

It’s not unfathomable to think Moraes could beat Cejudo, he just needs to make his argument for that rematch. There would be few better ways to do that than hand Yan his first octagon loss.

Amanda Nunes

Should fight: [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]

Irene Aldana

Why they should fight: It’s kind of hard to figure out what you do with Nunes at this point. She has trucked every title challenger available across two divisions, and the potential contenders for her look like names who would merely be rushed into that spot.

That’s ultimately what the UFC will have to be forced to do, though, following Nunes’ one-sided decision over Germaine de Randamie. But, the promotion is left in a real pickle if Nunes wants to defend her featherweight belt, because there’s simply just nobody there outside of Megan Anderson coming off a win.

It would be in Nunes’ best interest to wait around and see if an interesting contender emerges. She likes to stay active, though, and that means the UFC will have to cobble something together. It might have to come at 135 pounds, and if that’s the case, Aldana (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) seems like the natural next available contender following her stunning knockout
of Ketlen Vieira.

Alexander Volkanovski

Should fight: [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]

Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Volkanovski should rematch Holloway (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) next for his first title defense.

Kamaru Usman

Jorge Masvidal

Should fight: [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]
Why they should fight: 

Watch the video above to see why Usman should fight Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) next for his second title defense.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Covington, Holloway, other UFC 245 losing fighters?

See who Colby Covington, Max Holloway and Germaine de Randamie should fight next after their title-fight losses at UFC 245.

After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 245’s most notable fighters.

Those fighters include [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who felt short of the welterweight title in a fifth-round TKO loss to Kamaru Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) in the main event, [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC), who dropped his featherweight belt in the co-main event, as well as [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC), [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC).

* * * *

Urijah Faber

Should fight: [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]

Rob Font

Why they should fight: Faber wanted to see where he belonged in the UFC bantamweight division, and in the roughest of ways, he found out in a brutal third-round knockout loss to Petr Yan.

The UFC Hall of Famer, who came out of retirement in June, said he wanted the biggest test available. That’s because if he passed, a title shot would be on the horizon. Yan showed Faber those aspirations might be too lofty, though, and now the 40-year-old has a decision to make.

Faber got a sweet new contract ahead of the booking against Yan, and now that he’s finally making the money he wants to fight, it’s hard to walk away. That’s why another retirement feels unlikely right now.

If Faber continues to fight, he will do what he always does: Take a top name at 135 pounds. It shouldn’t be someone quite on Yan’s level, but a name like Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC), who is coming off a “Fight of the Night” win over Ricky Simon at UFC on ESPN 7 this month, would be a good fit for “The California Kid” if he insists on continuing to compete.

Jose Aldo

Should fight: [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]

Pedro Munhoz

Why they should fight: Although the decision was debatable, Aldo’s bantamweight debut will go down as a loss after his narrow split decision defeat to Marlon Moraes.

There was plenty of criticism about Aldo’s drop to 135 pounds, including from yours truly, but he did not look out of place once inside the octagon. The weight cut didn’t look good from an outside perspective, but Aldo says differently, so we’ll have to take his word for it.

Getting to that weight took sacrifice, though, and if Aldo wants to put himself through that again, there’s a lot of fresh and interesting matchups for him at 135 pounds. With all the potential contenders at bantamweight and flyweight, it’s laughable UFC president Dana White is considering Aldo for a matchup with dual-champ Henry Cejudo. And we’re going to proceed as if that illogical idea doesn’t materialize.

Aldo could very much belong in the title discussion, he just needs a single win. Fighting someone like Munhoz (18-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who may not be the biggest name but is very good and has a style that matches up well with Aldo, could be his opportunity to put on a statement performance.

Germaine de Randamie

Should fight: A top 10 bantamweight

Germaine de Randamie

Why they should fight: Much like the first fight against Amanda Nunes, the ground game of de Randamie was simply no match and ultimately was her downfall in a unanimous decision loss to the women’s bantamweight champion.

This title shot, quite honestly, felt like a gift opportunity to de Randamie. No one would’ve expected to fight for a UFC title again after she was stripped of the women’s featherweight strap in 2017. She got the chance because there was no more obvious contender, but could not overcome the dominant force that’s Nunes.

At this point it really doesn’t feel like de Randamie will fight for a title again, and at 35, she will have some decisions to make. There’s a good chance we don’t see de Randamie back anytime soon, as she’s been known for long layoffs. However, she likely has a couple more in her, and whatever the division looks like when she gets back, it’s sure “The Iron Lady” will get someone in the top 10 rankings.

Max Holloway

Should fight: [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]

Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Holloway should rematch Volkanovski (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) next after his title victory.

Colby Covington

Should fight: [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]

Tyron Woodley

Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Covington should fight Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) next.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC 245: Usman’s reign, Covington’s character, Holloway’s humility

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn with some thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 245.

What mattered most at UFC 245 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

* * * * *

1. Kamaru Usman’s championship potential

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] got his welterweight championship reign off to a memorable start with his first title defense being a fifth-round TKO of [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]. It was a huge fight, and for Usman to win it with those style points had to feel pretty sweet.

What also must be sweet is knowing he got through arguably his toughest test in the division his first time putting up the belt. There are a lot of great welterweights out there, but Covington wasn’t an easy stylistic matchup, as we saw in the fight.

The likes of Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, Leon Edwards, Stephen Thompson, Santiago Ponzinibbio, and more all have more glaring flaws Usman can take advantage of, and that must have “The Nigerian Nightmare” pretty excited about what he can make of this run as champion.

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Alexander Volkanovksi welcomes Max Holloway rematch: ‘I’ll be ready for it, and he does deserve it’

After his UFC 245 win, new champion Alexander Volkanovski is willing to run it back against Max Holloway.

LAS VEGAS – It wasn’t easy, but [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] got the job done.

At Saturday’s UFC 245, Volkanovski (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) took [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] five rounds before being announced the unanimous decision winner to become the new UFC featherweight champion.

When talking to reporters backstage post-fight, Volkanosvki proudly displayed his newly earned title belt on the table. It wasn’t easy, but the fight was a job well done in the eyes of the promotion’s first Australian-born champ.

“It was a tough one for me,” Volkanovski said. “I stay so composed in there. I’ve got a job to do, right? When I’m in there? I’ve always said that I keep myself level-headed and composed.

“… Obviously, I thought I was winning, but I didn’t know. My corner did a really good job of letting me know that and not getting caught up into his game. My shins are a little sore, but my gameplan went well. So it was good. Again, I was saying, we’re both very high level. It was a chess match in there, and I got the job done.”

With the victory, Volkanovksi ended the 1,100 day title reign of Holloway (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC), who suffered his first loss at featherweight since an August 2013 defeat to Conor McGregor. Holloway competed and won 15 times at 145 pounds from 2013-2019, winning every bout – except Volkanovski. He successfully defended his belt twice prior to UFC 245 against Brian Ortega and Jose Aldo, respectively.

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So that bares the question: Was Holloway’s run as champion enough to warrant an immediate rematch?

UFC president Dana White voiced the possibility a rematch could be next. If that’s the direction the UFC wants to go, Volkanovski is willing and able.

“I think he deserves it,” Volkanovski said. “Do I have to beat him to prove I’m a better fighter? I think we had five rounds to do, and I’m pretty sure I won it pretty clearly. But anyways, people are still going to doubt. They’re still going to. But I’ll be ready for it, and he does deserve it.”

If he gets another Holloway-centric training camp under his belt, Volkanovski indicated he could look even better a second time around. There are still adjustments to be made.

“I’ll be better prepared next time,” Volkanovski said. “I know we know what works. We’re going to get an even better formula. He might think he’ll get me figured out again, but I’m just too powerful. They go one way, I go another. That’s the thing. I’m so well rounded. I can just go anywhere with it.

The featherweight title bout was the UFC 245 co-main event. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Check out Volkanovski’s full UFC 245 post-fight press conference in the video above.

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UFC 245 post-event facts: Max Holloway makes history, even in defeat

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 245, which saw Kamaru Usman beat Colby Covington in the main event.

The UFC’s final numbered event of the year took place Saturday at UFC 245 went down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

Three championship bouts were featured on the card, but it was Kamaru Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) who closed the show in dramatic fashion when he stopped Colby Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) by fifth-round TKO to defend his welterweight title for the first time in the main event.

It was a memorable finish to close a memorable card, and for more on the numbers, check below for 60 post-event facts to come out of UFC 245.

* * * *

General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $369,500.

Usman, Covington, [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] and [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC 245 fight-night bonuses.

Debuting fighters went 2-0 on the card.

UFC 245 drew an announced attendance of 16,811 for a live gate of $4,041,119.14.

Betting favorites went 8-5 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 22-17 (one fight had even odds, one ended in a no contest) in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:49:00.

Main card

Usman extended his winning streak to 15 fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Usman became the fourth fighter in UFC history to start 11-0 with the promotion. Anderson Silva, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Royce Gracie also accomplished the feat.

Usman is the only welterweight in history to start his UFC career with 11 consecutive victories.

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak is the third longest active streak in the company behind Nurmagomedov (12) and Tony Ferguson (12).

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Usman’s 11-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is the second longest in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (12).

Covington suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the fourth undisputed featherweight champion in UFC history.

Volkanovski became the first Australian-born champion in UFC history.

Volkanovski’s six-fight UFC winning streak at featherweight is tied with Arnold Allen and Zabit Magomedsharipov for the longest active streak in the division.

Volkanovski extended his winning streak to 18 consecutive fights. He hasn’t suffered a defeat since May 2013.

Volkanovski has earned five of his eight UFC victories by decision.

Volkanovski has outlanded his eight UFC opponents by a 650-301 margin in total strikes.

[autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.

Holloway landed 100+ significant strikes for the 10th time in UFC competition, the most in company history. No other fighter has more than seven such performances.

Holloway became the third fighter in UFC history to complete 22 octagon appearances without suffering a knockdown.

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]’ (19-4 MMA, 12-1 UFC) five consecutive UFC title defenses are most among current champions.

Nunes’ seven victories in women’s UFC title fights are most in company history.

Nunes’ 12 victories in UFC competition are most for any female in company history.

Nunes’ 11 victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Nunes’ 10-fight UFC winning streak in women’s competition is the longest in company history.

Nunes’ nine-fight UFC winning streak at women’s bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.

[autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] (9-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) fell to 2-1 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in September 2017.

De Randamie suffered her first decision loss since June 24, 2011 – a span of 3,115 days and nine fights.

[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-6-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) improved to 18-2 in his past 20 fights dating back to December 2011.

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was unsuccessful in his bantamweight debut.

Aldo fell to 3-5 in his past eight fights after going undefeated for more than a decade.

Yan’s (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Yan has earned all three of his UFC stoppage victories by knockout.

[autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) suffered just the fourth knockout loss of his career.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]’s (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) five-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Usman (11), Leon Edwards (eight) and Santiago Ponzinibbio (seven).

Neal has earned 10 of his 12 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his five UFC wins.

Neal became the first welterweight since Usman to start 5-0 in the UFC.

[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to December 2017.

Perry suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

Aldana’s (12-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) five victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Nunes (11), Raquel Pennington (eight) and Ronda Rousey (six).

[autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) had her 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.

[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (19-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) improved to 3-0-1 since he returned to the UFC middleweight division in December 2017. He’s 4-0-1 in the weight class overall under the UFC banner.

Akhmedov’s five-fight UFC unbeaten streak at middleweight is tied with Paulo Costa for the second longest active streak in the division behind Israel Adesanya (seven).

[autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag] (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May.

Heinisch has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.

[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]’s (22-16 MMA, 15-10 UFC) 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).

Brown has earned 20 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. That includes 13 of his 15 wins under the UFC banner.

Brown’s 13 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

Brown’s 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied for second most in company history behind Vitor Belfort (12).

Brown’s 11 knockout victories in welterweight competition are the most in divisional history.

[autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag] (22-13-2 MMA, 8-10 UFC) fell to 5-7 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in August 2014; it includes one win in an outside promotion.

Saunders’ four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since June 2018.

Saunders is 1-6 in his past seven UFC appearances dating back to May 2017.

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag] (7-0-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned five of his seven career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Daniel Teymur[/autotag] (7-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to December 2016.

Teymur suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] (16-5-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) improved to 1-0-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.

Moreno snapped his three-fight winless skid in UFC competition for his first octagon victory since April 2017.

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of her career.

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned six of his seven career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Oskar Piechota[/autotag] (11-3-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has suffered three consecutive losses after starting his career on a 12-fight unbeaten streak.

Piechota suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

UFC 245 matchmaker: The defeated

MMA junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for UFC’s 245’s defeated in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”

MMA junkie’s Mike Bohn plays matchmaker and looks ahead to what makes sense for UFC’s 245’s defeated in this edition of “Sean Shelby’s Shoes.”

UFC 245 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Second highest event payout in program history

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 245 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $369,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 245 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $369,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 245 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

The full UFC 245 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]: $30,000
def. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $40,000

[autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag]: $20,000

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Ketlen Vieira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Ian Heinisch[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Matt Brown[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Chase Hooper[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Daniel Teymur[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Oskar Piechota[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2019 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,249,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $30,883,500

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC 245 with Billie Eilish and a ‘Game of Thrones’ appearance

Check out the complete list of fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 245 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 245 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

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Max Holloway ‘ain’t no sore loser,’ but felt he won UFC 245 title fight vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Despite dropping his title, Max Holloway was in good spirits after UFC 245.

LAS VEGAS – Despite suffering the most significant loss of his career, [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] was in good spirits after dropping the featherweight title to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 245.

Volkanovski (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) took a unanimous decision from Holloway (21-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) in Saturday’s co-headliner, marking the Hawaiian’s first defeat at 145 pounds since 2013.

The fight was largely competitive over five rounds, but in the end, Holloway felt he should’ve got the nod because of his work from the second to fifth round.

“I don’t want to sound like no sore loser,” Holloway told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC 245 post-fight press conference. “I haven’t watched the tape or nothing, but I thought I had enough. But there’s two guys that opinions who matters the most and them two didn’t treat it my way. But it is what it is. We’ll be back. Like I said, I’m only 28. I’m only 28 guys and we’ll be back when I’m ready.”

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Prior to UFC 245, which took place at T-Mobile Arena, Holloway had put together one of not only the great runs in featherweight history, but UFC history overall. He said he takes the blame for the result, though, because if he wanted to keep the title, he should’ve finished the fight.

“I thought the first round I was feeling him out, so he did what he did in the first round,” Holloway said. “Second round, I thought I was taking over, then three, four, five I thought was mine. But they saw it other ways. There’s only three opinions who matter. Like Burt Watson said, ‘Don’t leave it to the judges, they’ll make you cry.’ They made me cry twice in 2019, so let’s look forward to 2020. New year, new me.”

Following the loss of his belt, Holloway was questioned about his next move. His resume certainly holds grounds for a rematch, but a move up to the lightweight division has long been a discussion around “Blessed,” as well.

Holloway said he’s open to all options going forward. He wasn’t willing to commit to anything, though, and said it all depends on conversations with his family, coaches, management and the UFC brass.

“I will sit down with my team,” Holloway said. “I’ll sit down my team, watch the tape. It is what it is. I’m a fighter, I fight. But it’s a team decision with me. It’s not all about myself. I’m going to sit down with my team, sit down with Dana then we’ll go from there.”

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