Alexander Volkanovski reveals how he reacted after Max Holloway pulled out of trilogy fight
Alexander Volkanovski stated that he was disappointed after Max Holloway withdrew from their trilogy fight at UFC 272.
Holloway was forced to pull out after aggravating an existing injury. After two decision losses to Volkanovski, the 30-year-old defeated Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez to earn another crack at 145 lbs gold.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, the City Kickboxing product admitted that he was looking forward to putting an end to his rivalry with Holloway:
"I was disappointed... I was really looking forward to that fight. I really was... I was ready to get into camp and get things going. And end that chapter and all that stuff. But everyone says, as 'Blessed' says, 'It is what it is.' It's unfortunate. It's a big fight. A lot of people wanted to see it. But what do you do? That'll just have to wait till later. So, we'll see what happens."
Volkanovski also reiterated his desire to remain active and fight as much as possible:
"I made it clear straight after my fight. I wanted to fight regularly. Even fighting in March was later than I would've liked. I wanted to get some defences in. I want to fight as much as I can this year. So definitely get whoever we could on the March [pay-per-view]."
Check out the entire episode of The MMA Hour featuring an appearance from Alexander Volkanovski below:
Alexander Volkanovski responds to Giga Chikadze
Giga Chikadze claimed that Alexander Volkanovski was ducking tough fights in the featherweight division. This came after the Australian star agreed to defend the title against Chan Sung Jung as a replacement for the injured Max Holloway. Volkanovski will face the Korean star at UFC 273 instead of UFC 272.
The Australian, however, shot back at Chikadze during his appearance on The MMA Hour and said:
“You know, these guys that he’s calling, like, acting like he’s so surprised that I was fighting ‘Zombie’. These guys are ranked higher than him. We’re gonna be ranked higher than him even if he won. It just doesn’t make sense. Every time you pick someone, they’re going to try and say you’re scared and whatnot. Look at the people I’ve fought. Look at the guys I’ve fought. And you’re an absolute idiot if you think I dodge fights.”
Alexander Volkanovski brought up the fact that he agreed to defend the title against the potent Max Holloway, despite already having defeated the Waianae native twice. He emphasized his belief in his skills and that he isn't running from anyone.