Alexander Volkanovski says he's open to fighting Max Holloway for the third time if 'Blessed' beats Yair Rodriguez
Alexander Volkanovski has asserted that he’s willing to face Max Holloway in a trilogy fight. ‘The Great’ noted that if Holloway manages to beat Yair Rodriguez in his next fight, the third Volkanovski-Holloway matchup could come to fruition.
Reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski answered several questions during the UFC 266 media day scrum. One of the questions was whether he’d consider facing Max Holloway for the third time. Volkanovski responded by stating:
“You’re hearing it all the time anyway, but it’s, mate, that probably the fight it’s going to be, you know what I mean? I’m a realist. And I don’t even know. Do you guys know if the Max (Holloway) and Yair (Rodriguez) thing; or is that just rumors? Max and Yair. So, if that’s the fight, obviously, the winner of that will definitely get that number-one contender spot.”
“I’ve obviously got (Brian) Ortega to worry about, but, mate, you know, all the fights – He looked great in his last fight, and I want them number-one contenders. So, he (Holloway) actually went out there, instead of just waiting and expecting another shot. He’s at least going out there and trying to take fights. So, credit to him. And yeah, so, whoever is next; if it’s Max, let’s dance.”
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Heading into their first fight at UFC 245 in December 2019, Max Holloway was the UFC featherweight champion, and Alexander Volkanovski was the challenger. The closely contested matchup went the five-round distance and saw Volkanovski defeat Holloway via unanimous decision to capture the UFC featherweight title.
Their rematch transpired at UFC 251 in July 2020. This fight had Volkanovski looking to defend his title, whereas ‘Blessed’ came in as the challenger. Akin to their first fight, the second fight went the five-round distance and was a back-and-forth war. Volkanovski successfully defended his title by defeating Holloway via split decision.
Alexander Volkanovski reigns over a stacked featherweight division
Alexander Volkanovski is set to defend his UFC featherweight title against Brian Ortega at UFC 266 on September 25. Top-tier competitors like Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, and Giga Chikadze are in the title mix at featherweight, regardless of the outcome of the Volkanovski-Ortega fight.
The consensus is that Holloway is likely to fight Rodriguez this November. The winner of their fight could face the winner of the Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega matchup for the title.
It's not a done deal yet, but per Dana White, the UFC is looking to re-book Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez as the main event for UFC Fight Night on November 13.