UFC Singapore Press Conference: Holloway Emotional, but Ready

The UFC Singapore press conference/media day took place a few hours ago and we got a lot of insight as to where the former champ, Max Holloway, and the Korean Zombie are at headed into this bout. The Holloway vs Korean Zombie press conference showed a confident version of both halves of our main event for this weekend.

In terms of UFC Singapore news, both fighters look to be very focused for this bout. Holloway, should he get the win here, really has nowhere to go but a title fight after this. Zombie can make a claim for a title shot should he put on a great performance, but it's a bit less likely than Max, considering he's coming off of a win against Arnold Allen. Let's get into what was said at this UFC press conference!

UFC Singapore Press Conference: “Do I Have Punching Power? Find Out Saturday Night.”

Image Credit: IconSport

At the Holloway vs Korean Zombie press conference, Max was asked about Jung's comments on regarding the Hawaiian's power, or lack thereof. Holloway responded with this:

“Oh yeah, I heard that. I heard that comment. I heard him say that when it came out. Was that two years ago? Damn, that's a long time. Two years is a long time. Yeah, I don't know; beautiful thing is we get to find out on Saturday night. Do I have punching power? Find out Saturday night.”

Nether Max nor Chan Suing Jung are ones to manufacture conflict, they're both some of the nicest athletes in the UFC. This was just commentary on Holloway's striking and how most of his stoppages are from volume, rather than having that one punch touch of death. KZ has the power to shut the lights out with one strike, but how will that power fare against arguably the best chin in the UFC?

Further into the UFC Singapore press conference, we had to touch on the Maui wildfires. Holloway is the best Hawaiian fighter in MMA history, making him the face of modern day Hawaiian martial artists. Maui has been devastated by wildfires and Max used this platform to speak up on what's been going on.

“…You guys saw how everything went down. How the Lahaina people was let down by the state, by the government. But, you know, the Hawaiian community, they stepped up; the people stepped up; the Hawaiian's they stepped up. After the Hawaiians stepped up, the world stepped up…”

Holloway continued to talk about how he's dedicating this fight to those that are suffering due to these wildfires.

“I just shared on my story about how some people ended up passing away. and they've got a name. It's just tough, man, those guys is- they're the real heroes right now, they're going through it. My walkout song is going to be a dedication to them. They said that we should use red to solidify those guys that's in the fire and going through it… I'm actually going to be using red for the first time in my UFC career… I was able to be granted red for these shorts.”

It's not often that we see Holloway emotional; he's a fan-favorite not just because of his entertaining fighting style and skills, but because of his personality. So, to see him heartbroken is enough to make the hardcore fan tear up. This UFC press conference showed that Holloway is fully aware that he's had Hawaii on his back for some time, but it's a bit heavier now. Help support Hawaii here.

Holloway vs Korean Zombie Press Conference: The Next Move is Pending on Saturday's Performance

Apr 8, 2022; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Alexander Volkanovski faces off with the Korean Zombie during weigh ins for UFC 273 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

The Korean Zombie has been in this game for a long time. The first twister submission in the UFC, one of the fastest knockouts clocked in at just seven seconds, fighting for a world title against the beat featherweight of all time and, after this weekend, KZ will have fought against the three best featherweights of all time in Volkanovski, Holloway and Aldo — Jung's career is an illustrious one.

At the UFC Singapore press conference, he was asked where a win here would put him and if it's a title shot next.

“I'm not really sure what's going to happen. I mean, it's very difficult for a fighter to acknowledge that one's career has ended, so I'll have to see how well I fight in the octagon. I'll have to assess myself on this fight and then decide what's going on next.”

The Korean Zombie earned his nickname through his toughness, durability and grit. Holloway has never even been knocked down in the UFC, and he's fought some absolute hitters. So, in a match between two of the most durable guys in the organization, the media asked KZ how he thinks he can get the job done this weekend.

“A lot of people do ask the same question because both of us are very durable… I think the key to this fight is cardio, it's about who gets tired less and who has better cardio. So, in my training, in my fight camp, that's what I focused on on: to improve my cardio. So I think that will be the key to winning the fight.”

That sums up the Holloway vs Korean Zombie press conference. Stay tuned here with us for the betting odds, weigh in updates, live coverage and any other UFC Singapore fight news you'll need.