To the Max: 'Blessed' Holloway's 5 greatest performances

The magic number for Max Holloway is 10.

That's how many consecutive wins Holloway will have recorded if he beats Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto. That 10th win is also the one that will make him a UFC champion for the first time.

While it's taken a convoluted series of events for the Holloway-Pettis bout to become an interim title fight, there's no arguing that "Blessed" is more than worthy of the opportunity.

Here are five performances that marked Holloway's rise to the precipice of greatness.

Justin Lawrence - UFC 150

"Blessed" was just 20 years old heading into his third UFC bout. Opposing him at UFC 150 was Justin Lawrence, a gifted kickboxer whose Octagon prospects looked to be equally bright. Holloway showed just how far ahead he was of his fellow prospect by taking a round to suss out Lawrence's explosive style before dropping him with body shots for a TKO victory in the second.

Akira Corassani - UFC Fight Night 53

You won't find too many fighters these days who will stand and trade with Holloway. Akira Corassani is a big reason why. The Swedish slugger couldn't help but engage Holloway midway through the first round of their fight, leading to him eating a right hand that sent him stumbling to the mat. Corassani briefly recovered, only to absorb another huge right and about a half-dozen unanswered punches on the mat that left him crumpled against the cage.

Holloway's fourth straight win was his most impressive to date. It was also the moment that he graduated from prospect to contender.

Cub Swanson - UFC on FOX 15

Holloway's first foray into the fearsome featherweight top 10 saw him matched up with Cub Swanson, a well-versed and creative striker. Much like with Lawrence, it took Holloway a round-and-a-half to figure Swanson out. However, to put "Killer Cub" away, he'd have to show off another facet of his game.

In Round 3, Holloway twice wounded Swanson with strikes to set up submission attempts. On the second occasion, he caught Swanson in a front headlock and forced him to tap out to a guillotine choke. The expanded repertoire showed that he wasn't a one-dimensional action fighter, but a potential future champion.

Jeremy Stephens - UFC 194

At UFC 194, Holloway put on another complete performance against arguably the hardest hitter at 145 pounds. Jeremy Stephens just needed one good shot to KO Holloway, but, like an ace pitcher, he kept making him miss. Even Stephens' attempts to wrestle were foiled, as it was Holloway who ended up taking him down to the mat. He made win No. 8 in "the streak" look easy.

Ricardo Lamas - UFC 199

Ricardo Lamas is a perennial contender at 145 pounds, and Holloway dominated him when they clashed at UFC 199. Other than a brief moment of offense in Round 2, Lamas was completely befuddled by the Hawaiian phenom. Having a sizable lead on the scorecards in the final frame, Holloway still put it all on the line by pointing to the ground and challenging Lamas to throw down in the closing seconds of the fight. That gesture has become an iconic moment in his career.