Before Alessa Holloway became the wife of one of the most recognizable athletes in combat sports, she genuinely had no idea who Max Holloway was. In a recent interview, the professional surfer revealed that Max had been sliding into her DMs for years before she ever gave him a real chance, and the turning point had everything to do with finally learning what he actually did for a living.
Alessa grew up in Hawaii but left at 18 to pursue her professional surfing career, settling in California because LAX made international travel far easier. During those eight years away, she lost touch with the UFC entirely.
“I stopped watching UFC like since Chuck Liddell retired and I was like, okay, I’m done. I don’t watch no more,” she said on the show.
She knew Max existed in a vague, mutual-friends kind of way. They went to the same school, they had people in common, and she was aware he was a figh ter. That was about it. Max, meanwhile, had been paying attention to her from a distance for years, watching her stories and consistently planting seeds, as he put it. When she would leave him on read, he would tell his friends and keep going anyway.
When Alessa finally decided to move back to Hawaii, Max made his move. He pointed her toward a gym and positioned himself as a helpful contact in the athletic community.
“He sent me that direction. He’s like, hey, we should hang out,” she recalled. “I already knew where this was going. I was like, d*mn, I think I fell for the trap.”
But it was not until she was back on the island that the full picture came into focus. People were stopping Max in public constantly, asking for photos, treating him like a celebrity.
“I didn’t know he was a big deal till I got home and then he’s like everybody’s like, ‘Yeah, Max, how’s it going? Can I get a picture of him?’ I’m like, I didn’t say anything to him. I was like, ‘Oh, this guy must be, you know, a big deal.'”
A friend eventually spelled it out for her. “They were like, ‘Oh, you’re hanging out with Max. Do you not know? He’s like a big deal here.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, really?’ He’s like, ‘He’s about to compete, too.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, cool.’ I was like, ‘All right, I’ll do my research.’ I was like, ‘Oh, dang. I didn’t know.'”
The host noted that her not knowing actually worked in Max’s favor, pointing out that it showed she was not drawn to the fame or the status.
Alessa agreed, adding that what she saw first was simply a kind, supportive person who happened to be very persistent. The credentials came later. The consistency, as Max would say, is what got him there.
