At UFC 223, Holloway made a bid to step in for Tony Ferguson when Ferguson fell out of a date with Khabib Nurmagomedov during fight week. Despite his best efforts, the New York State Athletic Commission deemed the weight cut too extreme and prevented Holloway from fighting, but not before a spirited exchange with Nurmagomedov at the pre-fight press conference.
UFC MONTHLY REPORT | JANUARY 2023
Holloway would eventually get his shot at double-champ status when he fought Poirier in a rematch of their 2012 bout – Holloway’s promotional debut. This time, Holloway rode in on a five-year, 13-fight winning streak and as the betting favorite after dismantling Brian Ortega at UFC 231 a few months prior. However, after a back-and-forth affair, the judges gave the nod to Poirier, although both fighters earned a Fight of the Night bonus.
Although, at times, a fighter bidding for a second belt can seem audacious or at the behest of challengers in their own division, this move up to 155 seems like the natural course of action for Volkanovski. He is currently on a 22-fight winning streak stretching nearly a decade, with wins over Aldo, Ortega, Chad Mendes and Holloway (thrice) on his resumé. Following his Fighter of the Year campaign in 2022, it only made sense for him to try his hand in the lightweight division.
