M. Holloway (left) and A. Volkanovski (right) faced each other in 2019 and 2020. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc]
Last Saturday (13), Max Holloway derrotou Yair Rodriguez in the main fight of UFC Las Vegas 42 and opened the way to compete for the featherweight belt (up to 65,7 kg) in a trilogy against the champion Alexander Volkanovsky.
Volkanovski, who has already defeated Holloway on two occasions, stated that the UFC announced that the duel between the Yair Rodriguez and the Hawaiian would accredit the winner to a title fight and questioned the fact that Holloway was considering options other than fighting for the title.
“Max? We know what comes next. The winner of this fight would earn the title shot, whether it was Max or Yair. The UFC told us this, we were already expecting it. I'm sure the UFC told Max too. So it's the green light for the trilogy from the UFC and from me. The only one talking about other options is Max Holloway”, said the champion on his YouTube channel.
According to Volkanovski, the main reason for Holloway considering not doing the trilogy is the fear of “tarnishing the legacy” in the event of a third defeat. In the Australian's opinion, this would remove his rival's name from any discussion about “the greatest of all time”.
“This might irritate someone, but I'll leave you with this question: Am I saying he's scared? Perhaps. But I want you to listen to me. For Max, this is a defining moment. If he faces me and loses, he will be 0-3 against the featherweight champion in his prime. Speaking of legacy, his name will no longer appear in the discussion of the greatest of all time. Even though he lost twice, his name is there in the discussion. People still mention him in conversation. If he loses one more, we know they won't go again. His legacy in the featherweight division is tarnished. 0-3 at its peak? It doesn't look good to me. Maybe he wants bigger options, fights for money, because then he would still have the legacy. If he loses, his legacy is tarnished”, said the Australian.
Alexander Volkanovsky won the UFC featherweight belt precisely with a victory over Max Holloway, UFC 245, in 2019. In the rematch, in 2020, the Australian won again after a very balanced fight with a split decision contested to this day by some fans.
You need login To comment.