Max Holloway Names Dream Opponents, Including Islam Makhachev, After Khabib Snub
Max Holloway said he would be open to a high-profile rematch with Conor McGregor and mentioned islam makhachev among potential opponents, a remark that puts focus on major lightweight and BMF matchups. Wednesday at 11: 22 a. m. ET — the comments matter as Holloway prepares to defend the BMF title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 on March 7, 2026.
Islam Makhachev Included in Holloway’s List of Potential Opponents
Holloway said he would welcome big-name fights and specifically expressed interest in rematches and marquee matchups, naming islam makhachev among the top names fans talk about. He reiterated that any fight with a major name is a big opportunity and invoked the heightened stakes of bouts involving household names. Holloway also referenced Conor McGregor directly, calling a match with McGregor a “huge fight, ” and noted McGregor has not fought in nearly five years.
Alessa Quizon Holloway’s Surfing Career and Family Details
Alessa Quizon Holloway is a professional surfer from Makaha, Hawaii, who competed on the World Surf League Championship Tour and served on the stunt surfing team for the 2011 film “Soul Surfer. ” She was born January 2, 1994, in Honolulu and grew up in Makaha; she started surfing at age seven and competed in local contests by age 10. Billabong signed her at 12, and she ranked as high as No. 17 on the Women’s Championship Tour in 2015 before stepping back from the elite tour in 2016.
She and Max Holloway married in April 2022. In August 2025 she legally adopted Holloway’s son, Rush, concluding a five-year custody battle. Alessa won the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro in 2019, a notable QS victory, and chose to get a GED rather than complete Waianae High School so she could pursue surfing full time.
UFC 326 Main Event: Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira Set for March 7, 2026
Holloway is scheduled to defend the symbolic BMF title against former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 326 on March 7, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout is a rematch more than a decade after their first fight in 2015 and represents Holloway’s second defense of the BMF belt after his win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 last July. Holloway originally won the belt in a fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.
For now, Holloway’s public comments about big-name opponents keep the conversation on high-profile matchups, with islam makhachev listed among the names generating interest. That focus adds another layer of attention to UFC 326 as fight week approaches.
The next confirmed event is the UFC 326 main card, set for March 7, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas; more precise start times and full fight-week scheduling are expected to be released in the days leading up to the event.
