Max Holloway reveals why he agreed to fight Yair Rodriguez instead of waiting for a title shot
Max Holloway has revealed that the UFC offered him a title fight against Alexander Volkanovski and informed him that he doesn't have to take down another top-contender to earn the shot. But since he hasn't competed since January 2021, Holloway didn't want to wait until next year.
That's why he's stepping inside the octagon this weekend to take on Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 197. In a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour podcast, Holloway revealed why he agreed to fight Rodriguez instead of waiting for a surefire title shot down the line.
"Yeah, you know UFC told us, they told us we didn't have to. They told us we could wait it out but I was like, yeah, I ain't about that. I talked to my team and I let my team know and they was all on board and we're here today. I wanted to be a little more active for sure. That's why we took the fight in July and then things just happened, man. It does feel like a long time, especially in times like these so I'm just grateful that I'm able to go out there come this Saturday, come November 13th, and get to have fun again," Max Holloway said.
Check out Holloway's appearance on MMA Hour below:
Max Holloway can set up a trilogy fight with Alexander Volkanovski with a win this weekend
Oliveira? McGregor? Boxing? Max Holloway has options 👀 #TheMMAHour (via @arielhelwani)
▶️ youtu.be/ObXMtp4bl5c https://t.co/hd1joTuXX2
Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez will be competing to earn a shot at the UFC featherweight title. Holloway is the number one ranked contender in the 145 lbs division while Rodriguez is ranked number three. The winner of this fight is quite likely to challenge Alexander Volkanivski for the title next.
Holloway has already fought Volkanovski twice in the past, but came up short on both occasions. In their first fight, Holloway was outclassed by 'The Great' but the rematch was a very close affair. Many experts claim that Holloway should have won the fight and blamed the judges for scoring the fight in favor of Volkanovski.
I told you all, Max won that fight 😉
Big John McCarthy about Holloway vs Volkanovski 2. https://t.co/x3GhMgFQNB
It would be interesting to see what goes down if Volkanovski and Holloway meet each other a third time in the future.