Max Holloway has disclosed that he came close to signing with the PFL — formerly known as WSOF — just before his scheduled UFC debut against Dustin Poirier in 2012. Holloway noted that few people are aware he actually completed a signing with the promotion before ultimately making his way to the UFC.
Max Holloway has revealed that he nearly ended up in a completely different promotion before his UFC career ever got started, disclosing that he came close to signing with what is now known as the PFL — then operating as the World Series of Fighting — just ahead of his scheduled 2012 UFC debut against Dustin Poirier.
Holloway noted that few people know he actually completed a signing with the promotion before ultimately pivoting to the UFC. The revelation adds a striking footnote to one of the most decorated careers in mixed martial arts history. Now 34, the Hawaiian stands at 27-9-0 and is currently ranked fourth in the lightweight division and ninth pound-for-pound. Fighting out of Gracie Technics, Holloway has built a reputation as one of the sport's most prolific offensive fighters, landing 7.2 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy across his career.
The man on the other side of that 2012 bout, Dustin Poirier, has had an equally prominent UFC run. "The Diamond," now 37 and carrying a 30-10-0 record, fights out of American Top Team and has long been a fixture near the top of the lightweight division. The southpaw stands five-foot-nine with a 72-inch reach and averages 5.24 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy, while also mixing in a consistent grappling threat with 1.15 takedowns and 1.2 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- The disclosure reframes the early-career timeline of a future UFC champion and current top-five lightweight
- It highlights how close the promotion landscape in 2012 came to reshaping one of the UFC's flagship careers
- Both fighters involved have remained central lightweight figures, giving the anecdote lasting relevance to the division's history
