Jerome Max Keli’i Holloway[4][5] (born December 4, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist.

[11] Holloway was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in Waianae, an area known for fist fighting.

[14][15] Holloway's parents were heavy drug users, his mother Missy Kapoi being a crystal meth consumer who later recovered.

His father, Mark Holloway, who constantly abused his mother, left when Max was around 11 years old.

He gained recognition as the #7 featherweight prospect of 2012 in Bloody Elbow's 2012 World MMA Scouting Report and was compared with former UFC and former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, due to his ability to incorporate a wide array of flying and spinning kicks, knees and elbows into his striking game.

[19] His early career was highlighted by a split decision win over former Strikeforce[20] and WEC veteran Harris Sarmiento on March 12, 2011, earning himself the lightweight strap for the Hawaii-based X-1 promotion.

[26] Holloway fought Leonard Garcia on December 29, 2012, at UFC 155, replacing an injured Cody McKenzie.

[39] Holloway was expected to face Mirsad Bektić on August 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 49, replacing an injured Ernest Chavez.

[40] However, Bektic pulled out of the bout in the week leading up to the event and was replaced by promotional newcomer Clay Collard.

Holloway again served as a replacement and faced Akira Corassani on October 4, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 53, filling in for Chan Sung Jung.

[50] He won the fight via TKO in the first round after Oliveira suffered an apparent neck/shoulder injury while defending a takedown and was unable to continue.

As a result, in case Pettis were to win the fight with Holloway, he would be ineligible for the UFC championship.

[62][63] Holloway faced the featherweight champion José Aldo in a title unification bout on June 3, 2017, at UFC 212.

[64] After facing some early adversity, Holloway defeated Aldo via TKO in the third round and earned his first Fight of the Night bonus award for the bout.

If victorious, Holloway would be only the second fighter (behind Conor McGregor) in UFC history to hold titles in two different divisions simultaneously.

[77] For his second title defense, Holloway faced Brian Ortega in the main event at UFC 231 in Toronto, Canada on December 8, 2018.

[83] For the interim UFC Lightweight Championship, Holloway moved up a weight class to face Dustin Poirier in a rematch.

[87] Holloway won the fight by unanimous decision, successfully defending his featherweight title for a third time.

[92] This decision was controversial amongst media outlets, with 18 out of 27 media scores giving it to Holloway,[93][94][95] mixed martial arts personalities such as UFC president Dana White,[96] former referee and creator of the rules system John McCarthy[97][98] and multiple mixed martial artists.

[102] During the last two minutes of the fifth round, Holloway landed a two-punch combo and proceeded to stare at the commentary team sitting cage-side and talk to them, while effortlessly dodging Kattar's strikes and yelling "I'm the best boxer in the UFC!"

[109] On June 17, 2021, reports stated that Holloway was forced to pull out of the fight with Rodríguez due to injury.

[123] Holloway faced Justin Gaethje in a lightweight bout on April 13, 2024, at UFC 300 for the symbolic "BMF" ("baddest motherfucker") belt.

[133] Holloway began dating Hawaiian pro surfer Alessa Quizon in early 2020.