"You can't consider him one of the greatest" - Sean O'Malley ready to dismiss Max Holloway's legacy if he loses third fight against Alexander Volkanovski
Sean O’Malley has suggested that Max Holloway’s trilogy fight against Alexander Volkanovski would be pivotal for Holloway’s legacy. In an edition of The BrOMalley Show, Sean O'Malley and his brother Daniel O’Malley weighed in on the highly-anticipated matchup.
Volkanovski beat Holloway via unanimous decision to win the UFC featherweight title at UFC 245 in December 2019. ‘The Great’ beat Holloway via split decision to retain his title in their rematch at UFC 251 in July 2020. Both fights were closely-contested.
@AlexVolkanovski derails the Blessed Express at #UFC245!He has DONE it! 🏆
🇦🇺 @AlexVolkanovski derails the Blessed Express at #UFC245! https://t.co/ekpfAWeQ3N
Nevertheless, the fact remains that Holloway is 0-2 against Volkanovski. O’Malley addressed this and asserted that the Hawaiian's reputation as one of the GOATs (Greatest Of All Time) is at stake in their upcoming clash:
“I don’t know. That’s an interesting fight. I mean, if Max loses, he’s 0 and 3 against Volk. That’s crazy. That’s wild. Think about it. Like, that would, I mean, Max is considered one of the GOATs, one of the best of all time. But if he loses to Volk, whether, I mean, it doesn’t matter how he loses, doesn’t have the two fights previously. They say he’s 0 and 3. You can’t consider him one of the greatest, on paper.”
🏆 @AlexVolkanovski keeps the belt! #UFC251 https://t.co/a0wdLk1yPJ
The O’Malley brothers opined that Volkanovski should be considered one of the GOATs. ‘Sugar’ highlighted that the Volkanovski-Holloway trilogy matchup is a "sweet" co-main event for UFC 276.
The much-awaited UFC middleweight title matchup between reigning champion Israel Adesanya and challenger Jared Cannonier will serve as the main event of UFC 276.
Furthermore, the O’Malley brothers also discussed the possibility of Holloway winning the trilogy fight and a potential quadrilogy fight, which could then lead to a fifth fight between them.
Watch O’Malley discuss the Volkanovski-Holloway trilogy matchup in the video below:
Jon Anik on the significance of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to defend his title against Max Holloway at UFC 276 on July 2nd. On that note, UFC commentator Jon Anik recently broke down the significance of the trilogy showdown.
Speaking to The Schmo, Anik emphasized that he regards Holloway, not Jose Aldo, as the featherweight GOAT. Regardless, he feels that Volkanovski could dethrone the Hawaiin as the featherweight GOAT if he wins their third fight:
"I mean it's hard, right. As these guys sit with incomplete legacies to make any historical proclamations. Max Holloway to me, I know there are a lot of Jose Aldo, 'King of Rio' backers out there, but for me right now on paper, Max Holloway is the greatest featherweight in history. But Volkanovski has two head-to-head-wins against those guys."
Check out the full interview below: