If you’ve ever watched Max "Blessed" Holloway stand across from an opponent in the Octagon, you've probably done a double-take. He looks lanky. He looks like a guy who should be playing shooting guard in a pickup basketball game, not cutting down to 145 pounds to trade leather with the world's most dangerous human beings.
Honestly, the question of how tall is Max Holloway is one of those things that keeps MMA Twitter arguing late into the night. On paper, it's simple. The official UFC tale of the tape lists him at 5'11" (180 cm). But if you know anything about fight stats, you know they can be as reliable as a weather forecast in the middle of a hurricane.
The Official Billed Height vs. Reality
Max Holloway is officially billed at 5'11". For a featherweight, that is massive. To put it in perspective, the average height for a UFC featherweight is roughly 5'9". When Max was the king of the 145-pound division, he was essentially a giant among men.
But is he actually 5'11"?
If you look at his face-offs with other fighters, the numbers start to get a little fuzzy. Take his legendary battles with Dustin Poirier. Poirier is listed at 5'9", and when they stand eye-to-eye, Max clearly has the height advantage, but it doesn't always look like a full two-inch gap. Then you see him next to someone like Calvin Kattar, also billed at 5'11", and Max actually looks a bit taller.
It’s weird.
Fighters often "grow" or "shrink" depending on who's holding the measuring tape that day. Some guys wear thick-soled sneakers to ceremonial weigh-ins; others might be slouching during the official medicals. With Max, he has that "tall guy" posture—a bit of a lean, narrow shoulders, and a long neck that makes him seem even more imposing.
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Max Holloway's Physical Stats at a Glance
- Official Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
- Official Reach: 69 inches (175 cm)
- Weight Class: Primarily Featherweight (145 lbs) and Lightweight (155 lbs)
- Ape Index: -2 inches (meaning his wingspan is shorter than his height)
The most fascinating part of his build isn't actually his height, though. It’s the reach.
The Mystery of the "T-Rex Arms"
Despite being one of the tallest guys in the division, Max Holloway has a reach of only 69 inches. This is what nerds in the combat sports world call a "negative ape index." Usually, your wingspan is about the same as your height. If you're 5'11", you should have a 71-inch reach.
Max is missing two inches there.
It’s kind of a paradox. You have this tall, rangy Hawaiian who uses distance better than almost anyone in the history of the sport, yet he technically has shorter arms than many of the people he's beating up. Look at Alexander Volkanovski—the man is 5'6" but has a 71.5-inch reach. He's five inches shorter than Max but has longer arms!
How does Max make it work?
He doesn't rely on "long" punches in the traditional sense. He uses his height to see over the guard of his opponents. He uses his height to lean back and make people miss by a fraction of an inch. Basically, he uses his 5'11" frame to create a "visual" distance that messes with his opponent's timing.
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Moving Up: How His Height Plays at Lightweight
In 2024 and into 2025, we’ve seen Max spend more time at Lightweight (155 lbs). This is where the how tall is Max Holloway question gets even more interesting. At featherweight, he was a beanpole. At lightweight, he looks... well, normal.
When he fought Justin Gaethje at UFC 300—a fight that will be talked about as long as people have eyes to watch highlights—he didn't look like the bigger man. Gaethje is listed at 5'11" as well, and they looked identical in stature.
The move to 155 was probably inevitable.
Cutting to 145 at 5'11" is a nightmare. You’re essentially starving a full-sized adult male to fit into a frame that shouldn't hold that much height. By moving up, Max let his body fill out. He didn't lose the height advantage, but he lost the "size" advantage. And yet, he's still cracking people. That knockout of Gaethje proved that height and reach are just numbers on a screen; timing and "The Blessed Express" rhythm are what actually win fights.
Why Does Google Say He's 5'9"?
You might have seen a stray snippet or an old forum post claiming Max is 5'9". Ignore it. That likely stems from very early career listings or just plain old internet typos. If Max Holloway were 5'9", he would look significantly smaller next to guys like Conor McGregor (5'9") or Jose Aldo (5'7").
He’s clearly not 5'9".
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If you see him in person, he’s a legit 5'11". He’s got that lanky, athletic build that you see in surfers or volleyball players. It’s a build designed for volume, not necessarily one-punch "touch of death" power—though tell that to the guys he's put away lately.
What This Means for Your Fight Analysis
If you're betting on a fight or just arguing with your buddies at the bar, don't just look at the 5'11" stat. Look at how he uses it.
Max fights "tall." He keeps his chin tucked behind those narrow shoulders and uses a high-volume jab to keep people from closing the distance. Because his reach is shorter (69"), he actually has to stay closer to his opponents than a "long" fighter usually would. This is why he gets into those insane pocket exchanges. He can't just sit on the outside like Jon Jones; he has to be in the line of fire to land his own shots.
It’s why his fights are always "Fight of the Night" contenders. He’s a tall guy who fights like a short guy. It’s a terrifying combination.
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Don't overvalue his height advantage: Since his reach is only 69 inches, he often gives up "functional" reach to shorter, stockier fighters.
- Watch the shoulder line: Max uses a "bladed" stance to make his shorter arms reach further, a classic trick for fighters with a negative ape index.
- Lightweight is his true home: Now that he's older (34 as of 2026), that 5'11" frame is much healthier at 155 lbs than it ever was at 145.
Next time you see a Tale of the Tape, remember that 5'11" is just the start of the story. The way Max moves that 5'11" frame is what makes him a future Hall of Famer.
To get a better feel for how these dimensions work in the cage, you should compare his fight footage against Alexander Volkanovski (longer reach, much shorter) versus his fight against Yair Rodriguez (similar height and longer reach). You'll see exactly how Max manipulates space despite the "stats" on the screen.