UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway has goals for 2018, but they don’t include changing weight classes, demanding super fights or anything of the sort. The Hawaiian considers himself a classic UFC champion, and that means defending his belt with regularity.

Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who made his first title defenses with a third-round TKO of Jose Aldo (26-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) at UFC 218 this month, is likely lined up for a fight with former UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) next. After that the likes of Brian Ortega (13-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Josh Emmett (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) could be in line, and the champ has already showered them with praise.

After making his UFC debut in early 2012, Holloway has already put together one of the finest resumes in company history. His 12-fight winning streak is among the longest to occur inside the octagon, and “Blessed” has a lengthy list of other notable achievements during his career.

Remarkable, though, Holloway insists he’s only scratched the surface. He’s regarded as a “Fighter of the Year” candidate in 2017, and he wants that to continue when the calendar flips to a new year.

“(My goal for 2018 is) two or three title defense and two or three times of putting the hammer down and letting everyone know that I’m here to stay for a long time,” Holloway told MMAjunkie. “‘The Blessed Era’ is in full effect. There’s a lot of new contenders rising. I’m excited about the future. It’s about proving my worth now. I get to show that 2017 wasn’t a fluke.”

Holloway’s work inside the octagon has been spectacular in recent years. Stopping Aldo with strikes twice in a six-month span to unify and defend the 145-pound stands out as the best part of his run, but Holloway doesn’t like to take all the recognition for himself.

Although he comes from a small training camp in Waianae that only houses a few notable names and minimal recognizable coaches, Holloway touts the sacrifices made by those around him as a primary reason why he’s in his current position.

“My coaches don’t get the respect they deserve,” Holloway said. “I always try to let them know they’re loved. We’ve all got families. I miss so much stuff, but they are too. They give me their time and 100 percent effort and I’ll be forever grateful for that. Time is a valuable thing. If I give you 20 bucks, you can pay me back down the line. You ca pay me 10 days from now, 10 years from now, 10 minutes from now. But if I give you 20 minutes of my time, that’s 20 minutes I can never get back. You’ve got to respect that and it’s what I do.”

Holloway is a loyalist who intends on keeping his tight-knit group until the end of his career. In his mind, that could be another decade of being competitive at the top of the sport. Holloway already has 18 UFC fights, and if he continues at his current rate he’ll shatter promotional records for most fights and wins within the next few years.

That’s exactly how Holloway wants it to be, he said. He doesn’t want to make an unceremonious exit from fighting, and if it reaches a point of danger and diminishing results, he said he’ll get out. But right now Holloway is riding the highest of highs after a standout year, and he said he’s going to continue to push the limits as far as possible.

“I’ll fight everyone and anyone and I’m going to keep my gas on the foot-peddle,” Holloway said. “This is just one year of champ life and I’m not ready to give it up. I just turned 26 and I want to fight until I’m 35 or so. Who knows? Once 35 comes we can make the decision. I want to retire from the game, not let the game retire me. I don’t want to leave the game all busted up trying to hang on to false hope. I want to leave with my chin up, smiling and say I did everything I could possible do. That’s what I want to do. I’m going to put on stellar performances and make everyone believe the hype.”

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