In quarantine, Alexander Volkanovski does not want to defend his title against Max Holloway at UFC 251, in June

A. Volkanovski after winning the featherweight belt at UF 245. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @alexvolkanovski

After it was announced that Valentina Shevchenko is out of the fight against Joanne calderwood No. UFC 251, which takes place on June 6, in Perth, Australia, the card could see another loss in weight. The featherweight champion (up to 70,3kg.), Alexander Volkanovsky, stated that he does not intend to face Max Holloway in what was being negotiated to represent the main fight of the show. In an interview with 'ESPN', the Australian explained his possible absence due to the influence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on his training routine.

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“I'm in a complicated situation, because I'm in quarantine. I can't train optimally and I can't travel to New Zealand. So, are we still going to go with that card? I don't think it's a good idea for me, especially after having a broken hand (the athlete is recovering from a broken hand suffered in the first meeting with Holloway in December 2019). For me, trying to recover from an injury and immediately going into training, without having adequate preparation, is not a good idea”, said the champion.

Volkanovski, then, was pessimistic about the event being held on the scheduled date. According to the athlete, the company should postpone it, however, he does not object if the company prefers to maintain the card without him.

“I don’t think the Perth card will go ahead, but if it does, I don’t know the chances of me being on it,” he added.

Although the idea of ​​holding a rematch between Alexander and Max in Australia was a desire declared by Ultimate's president, Dana White, immediately after the first fight between the featherweights, the fight was never actually made official by the organization.

“To be honest, nothing has been signed or confirmed. Everything pointed to Perth, but we're still not sure if it's going to happen or not,” she concluded.

Volkanovski became featherweight champion after dominating Holloway in one of the main fights of the UFC 245. The athlete is now waiting for his first belt defense.