Holloway still hasn't managed to fight in 2018 (Photo: Reproduction/FacebookUFC)
Without stepping into the octagon since December 2017, when he knocked out José Aldo for the second time, Max Holloway had to face bigger challenges outside the octagon this year. Initially scheduled to face Brian ortega At UFC 226, last July, the featherweight champion was removed from the fight after being diagnosed with concussion symptoms.
The shock was so great that it triggered another illness in Holloway: depression. In an interview with the program 'Good Show with Ben Ennis & JD Bunkis', on the Canadian broadcaster 'SportsNet', the Hawaiian revealed that he suffered complicated moments in his personal life, to the point of moving away from people and starting to see life with different eyes.
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“It just helped me as a person to realize that sometimes you need to slow things down to put them together. After this last one, I had to deal with depression. Depression is real, and that really shocked me hard. I went through a phase where I didn't talk to anyone, just my son. My son and I were doing things, but I wasn't talking to anyone. If I wanted to talk to you, I would call you, but if people were trying to talk to me, I would walk away. I was in this situation. Now that I can talk about it, I can tell people this is not the way to do it. The way to deal with this is to talk to your family, to talk to your friends, to be with everyone, because you don't know when things can change. Life changes in the blink of an eye, so live life to its fullest”, declared the fighter, who highlighted the importance of seeking help to deal with any problems that arise.
“Don’t be afraid to seek help. Depression is real. It's crazy. And all these guys, us athletes, keep thinking we're superheroes. I like to think I'm a superhero, but superheroes sometimes have to fight their demons too,” he concluded.
After a few months and a series of intense exams, Holloway was released to work in December 2018, when he will finally put his belt on the line against Ortega, in the 231st edition of the UFC, in Toronto, Canada. At just 26 years old, the Hawaiian has been linear champion since June 2017, when he dethroned José Aldo in the middle of Rio de Janeiro. Six months later, he made his first title defense, recording his 12th consecutive victory in the featherweight division.
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