Israel Adesanya doesn't see Max Holloway "surviving the onslaught" that Alexander Volkanovski will bring at UFC 276
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes Max Holloway won't be able to survive his trilogy bout with Alexander Volkanovski. While sitting down with Kevin Iole prior to UFC 276, Izzy was asked for his take on the upcoming trilogy, and he said:
"Right now I feel that the momentum is on Alex's side because of the way he's been fighting, dominating and winning. And Max, he's a great fighter don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of his as well. But I just don't see him survivng the onslaught that Alex is gonna bring this time."
Adesanya's opinion carries both weight and bias as he trains alongside Volkanovski at City Kickboxing in New Zealand. Further elaborating on his opinion, Izzy went on to compare Volk to another one of their teammates: Kai Kara-France. According to Adesanya, the main shift has been in their mindset, stating:
"Alex is raw. Something is different, even with Kai, the mindset. Those two, they're starting to come into their own and believe their own spirit. And it's beautiful to watch and see their confidences grow. I feel like it will be too much for Max to handle."
Izzy is right to say Volkanovski has momentum coming into the bout given his last two fights were his Fight of the Year contender bout against Brian Ortega and his dominating Performance of the Night against the Korean Zombie. However, the same should be said for Max, considering his last two bouts since meeting Volk were two Fight of the Night's in which he dominated Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez, respectively. Max certainly has a growing belief in his own spirit as well, since in the bout against Kattar, he famously declared the following:
Regardless, both fighters are carrying a lot of momentum into this bout, and it should make for some fireworks in the co-main event of UFC 276.
You can watch Adesanya's full interview with Kevin Iole here:
Adesanya plugs lesser known City Kickboxing fighter in UFC 276 promo
Izzy is known for his love and loyalty to his team at City Kickboxing. While promoting the upcoming pay-per-view, he posted a photo with a lesser-known teammate shown here:
Pictured on the right is Brad Riddell, the UFC's #14 ranked overall lightweight. Riddell started off his UFC career with an impressive 4-fight winning streak. However, in his most recent bout, Riddell was on the receiving end of a highlight-reel spinning wheel-kick knockout, delivered by Rafael Fiziev. Riddell will look to get back on track against Jalin Turner during UFC 276's featured prelim bout.