UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has offered a blunt assessment of Max Holloway’s recent octagon outing. Earlier this month, Holloway faced Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 326, a BMF title clash that unfolded as a decidedly one-sided affair.
While fans largely anticipated a stand-up war, Oliveira strategically employed a wrestling-heavy approach to dominate Holloway. The Brazilian, despite not securing a submission, effectively controlled “Blessed” for over 20 minutes and landed 5 takedowns, ultimately securing a unanimous decision victory.
Reflecting on the Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira 2 fight, Arman Tsarukyan believes that “Blessed” is “finished” and no longer exhibits the caliber of fighter he once was. During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Tsarukyan expressed his astonishment at the ease with which jiu-jitsu expert Oliveira repeatedly took Holloway down, highlighting Holloway’s surprising lack of takedown defense and wrestling acumen for a veteran of his standing.
“Max Holloway is already done,” Tsarukyan declared. “He’s just going to make money and then retire. He is [finished]. He is not that Max anymore. In his last fight, he looked so bad. That’s crazy. I was surprised that he couldn’t wrestle. Zero wrestling. You’ve been in this sport for 20 years, and you cannot even defend takedowns from Charles Oliveira? Charles Oliveira has no takedowns. He has good jiu-jitsu, but wrestling, I have never seen him wrestle very well.”
Following this loss, Max Holloway has publicly expressed interest in a rematch with Conor McGregor, signaling his desire to face “The Notorious” whenever McGregor makes his return to the octagon.
Commenting on a potential McGregor vs. Holloway rematch, Tsarukyan added during the same interview: “It’s a good fight. I think stylistically it’s a good fight for Conor.”