MAX HOLLOWAY VS. ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI
Heading into his bout with Chad Mendes last December, Volkanovski told me he wasn’t too happy with the talk about Holloway having no real challengers left at featherweight and potentially departing for lightweight because he felt he matched up well with the Hawaiian champion and looked forward to the day the two could share the cage with UFC gold hanging in the balance.
Having dispatched Mendes and added a unanimous decision win over Jose Aldo to extend his winning streak to 17, the former rugby man now gets his chance to challenge Holloway for the featherweight strap in Saturday’s co-main event.
Volkanovski has been outstanding since arriving in the UFC, posting seven wins in as many starts while turning in dominant efforts against the likes of Mendes, Darren Elkins, Jeremy Kennedy and Shane Young. The compact powerhouse has an iron chin and only one gear — forward — but he’s also never been in the cage with someone as dynamic and technical as the reigning titleholder.
While Holloway came up short in his bid to claim the interim lightweight title in April, he returned to his kingdom at 145 pounds in July and turned in another stellar performance, finally squaring off with Frankie Edgar. All three judges scored it differently, but there was no question Holloway was the better man that night in Edmonton, as he collected his 14th straight win in the featherweight division and third successful title defense.
Holloway’s five-year run of success in the division has been nothing short of masterful and filled with incredible performances that showcase his varied offensive arsenal and keen attention to detail inside the Octagon. Save for his sluggish win over Aldo in May, Volkanovski has run roughshod over everyone he’s faced, taking them out of their comfort zone and outclassing them in previously unseen ways.
Though it’s the penultimate fight on the slate, this could be the one everyone comes away talking about on Sunday morning.
