Alexander Volkanovski expresses dismay over Max Holloway’s current situation in the UFC featherweight division
Current featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski has shared his thoughts on the complicated situation Max Holloway is facing in his UFC career.
At UFC Kansas City, Holloway took on Arnold Allen in a five-round fight. The bout lasted the allotted 25 minutes and ended in a unanimous decision victory for 'Blessed.' The three judges scored the contest 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 in favor of the former UFC champion.
Holloway is in a tough spot in the featherweight division, where he is constantly defeating rising contenders but is 0-3 against the featherweight champion. So, it would be hard to sell a fourth fight between the two, considering Volkanovski has won all the previous encounters.
'The Great' recently sat down for a chat with Oscar Willis for 'The MacLife Official.' During his time there, Volkanovski praised Holloway's latest performance and also expressed dismay over his current situation:
“I remember saying to him after the last fight... ‘Get out of my division! Stop beating up my contenders!’ I’m saying stuff like that to him... A lot of people are gonna sit there, before last night, ‘Oh, he’s fallen off’ and all this stuff. Nah, it’s not that. Trust me. You wait until he fights again, and you’re gonna forget about that the next time. He proved it last night, he looked great... You feel bad too, in that situation, like, ‘Why does that guy gotta be here and be in my damn division?’... Obviously, Max is a cool dude as well, great fighter. It’s a tricky situation for Max, that’s for sure but... you never know,” said Volkanovski.
Check out Volkanovski's comments from the 6:40 mark below:
What is next for Alexander Volkanovski?
In his last outing, Alexander Volkanovski suffered the first loss of his UFC career as he lost the lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284.
Despite that, 'The Great' still holds the featherweight title and is expected to defend it next against interim champion Yair Rodriguez. Although no official announcement has been made, the fight is expected to take place at UFC 290 during International Fight Week in July.
via @FOXSports
The UFC are looking to book the featherweight title fight for #UFC290 at International Fight Week 👀
Alexander Volkanovski v. Yair Rodriguez
UFC 290 | July 8 | Las Vegas NV https://t.co/oawrWpwnnY
Known for his dynamic striking skills, Rodriguez is coming off two back-to-back impressive wins against Josh Emmett and Brian Ortega. Alexander Volkanovski, on the other hand, is undefeated at featherweight. So, it would be interesting to see how things would unfold in the highly intriguing title unification bout.