Max Holloway has a lot of titles fans can refer to him as – “Blessed”, former UFC featherweight champion, “Daddest Man on the Planet”, “the best boxer in the UFC” – and now we can add another to the list: Forrest Griffin Community Award Winner.

Yesterday the UFC announced that Holloway has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Forrest Griffin Community Award. The honor was created last year by the UFC to recognize an athlete for their charitable works and impact on their communities and it’s an honor that Holloway says he did not see this coming.

“I’m all out of it to be honest, to hear that,” Holloway said during his pre-fight press conference. “I told them not to – they should have not surprised me fight week! (Smiling) It’s kind of messed up, I’ve got so many emotions already and then they drop this bomb on me.”

The award, which will officially be bestowed during the 2022 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, includes a $25,000 donation to the charity of Holloway’s choice, courtesy of Toyo Tires, and Holloway says he knows exactly where he will give the money.

“I was talking to my agent before this and we just got something new,” Holloway said. “We’re working with the Boys & Girls Club, specifically where I was born and raised in Waianae, HI. I’m gonna give them the whole thing. There’s this program called What’s Next and it helps people to find out what they want to do next. If it’s college or military, whatever it may be, internships, whatever it is, that’s what it goes to so that’s where (the donation) is going.”

Holloway is the second winner of the Forrest Griffin Community Award. Last year’s winner, Dustin Poirier, was the inaugural recipient of the award for his work with his own charity, The Good Fight Foundation, which launched several programs to give back to their communities, including back to school campaigns, fundraisers, and food drives. This year, Holloway is being recognized for his visits to military and children’s hospitals, his work with the the Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, and his efforts in raising money for the Hawaii and Maui Foodbanks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And Holloway says he is already working on many more initiatives.

“I saw Dustin won it two months ago and they told me I won it for this year so it’s pretty sick, man. Like I told them, it’s not a trophy to hold above my head. I’m not celebrating. You don’t celebrate this. It’s a responsibility to go on my shoulders and to let me know. It’s a reminder to be like, ‘You’d better keep pushing.’ I’m more than an athlete. This is bigger than me. There’s people who need help and we’re here for it.

“We always did work with Hawaii Food Bank, with unemployment. We started doing stuff with Hawaii Food Bank and we’ve got something sick coming up with them. We’re just trying to do out bit. A wise person once said to me, ‘You want to leave this world better than you came into it.’ At the end of the day, this is huge. This helps us out a lot. I know a bunch of kids in the Waianae Boys & Girls Club when they hear about that, they’re gonna be pretty stoked, so I’m excited.”

But before Holloway can get to work there, he has some business to attend to. Holloway faces Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Vegas 42 this Saturday in Las Vegas, NV.

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TOP STORIES

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Heat. Leon Edwards trashes ‘fraud’ Jorge Masvidal for pulling out of UFC 269, focused on Kamaru Usman next.

Opportunity. Khamzat Chimaev, Belal Muhammad and more call for Leon Edwards fight at UFC 269 after Jorge Masvidal withdrawal.

Mad. Justin Gaethje rips ref Mike Beltran, says UFC 268 call could have cost him $1 million.

Enemies. Coach: ‘Naive’ Ciryl Gane frustrated by Francis Ngannou snubbing teammate, but not surprised.

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Insurrection. Former MMA fighter Scott Fairlamb receives 41-month prison sentence for involvement in Capitol Riots.

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VIDEO STEW

The MMA Hour.

UFC 268 Fight Motion.

Top finishes from UFC Vegas 42 fighters.

Top finishes from Bellator 271 fighters.

Cris Cyborg fight week continued.

Wonderboy marveling at Chris Barnett.

The lesson, as always, is don’t fight Justin Gaethje. Unless you’re Khabib.

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LISTEN UP

We Got Next. Interviews with Aaron Pico, Valerie Loureda, and Britain Hart.

Heavy Hands. Discussing the big takeaways from UFC 268.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Colby Covington.

Never anger the MMA gods.

Giga Chikadze mad at Max. Also, is unaware that a full month happens monthly.

Michael Chandler cuts A LOT of weight apparently.

Dan Hardy ramping up the trash talk.

Poetry.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Loma Lookboonmee (6-2) vs. Lupita Godinez (6-2); UFC Vegas 43, Nov. 20.

Carlos Ulberg (3-1) vs. Fabio Cherant (7-3); UFC 271, Feb. 12.

Mike Diamond (3-0) vs. Orion Cosce (7-1); UFC 271, Feb. 12.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

How can you not love Max Holloway. One of the realest dudes in the sport.

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

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EXIT POLL

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