Sherdog’s Top 10: Rising Stars, 2015 First Edition

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4. Max Holloway
Division: Featherweight
Record: 13-3 (9-3 UFC)
Age: 23

Holloway seems like a grizzled veteran at this point in his UFC career, having debuted against Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 more than three years ago as a 20-year-old late replacement. It might seem strange to place the label of “rising star” on a fighter with a dozen fights in the UFC, but Holloway is only 23 and is still less than five years into his professional career. As his dominating victory over Cub Swanson in April demonstrates, the Hawaiian is just now hitting his prime.

It takes time to become an elite fighter, and in the past, that kind of growth usually took place outside the UFC. With the expansion of the roster, however, the matchmakers are increasingly forced to take on that role for themselves, and Holloway’s career is an object lesson in how to do that. He has been given steps up in competition before, but instead of being thrown to the wolves after a loss, Holloway has been able to slowly rebuild against the middle of the featherweight division. His propensity for short-notice fights has only improved that situation, giving him a wealth of experience.

A creative, high-volume striker with elite takedown defense and an increasingly lethal submission repertoire, Holloway’s game is well-suited for any opposition Sean Shelby can throw his way. He takes on Charles Oliveira in August in a matchup of two of the division’s most promising young fighters: Fireworks will surely ensue, and so, too, will a new featherweight star.

Number 3 » As a fighter, she has shown serious promise. Her greatest assets are her athleticism and especially her pace: She is essentially a pressure fighter whose game revolves around relentless forward movement into the clinch, where she chips away with knees, punches and elbows until she can get a takedown. Once she ends up on top, she drops an unceasing stream of ground strikes until the final bell sounds or her opponent quits.