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Max Holloway's last fight against Alexander Volkanovski was the first in a long time where 'Blessed' was not the guy in charge of the pace. Max Holloway is elite when it comes to pushing the pace and outlasting guys inside the octagon, especially in the later rounds.
But Volkanovski proved to be a worthy contender and was the recipient of a unanimous decision as Holloway's two and a half year reign finally came to an end. While many saw this as the rise of Volkanovski and a new king at UFC's Featherweight division, Max Holloway should not be counted out considering he is the younger of the two by three years.
Alexander Volkanovski has been fired up about finishing Max Holloway this time round and shutting up the critics.
The former featherweight champ has already faced a challenging training camp with no sparring and this will only make his task even harder.
Will Max Holloway's legacy be affected by a second loss against Volkanovski?
While losing against someone twice would be a blot on Max Holloway's impressive resume, he is still pretty young and has time on his side. Firas Zahabi once said during the Joe Rogan podcast that he used to ask George Saint-Pierre to fight just two times a year as champion.
Zahabi thought someone would eventually catch up with GSP if they kept repeating the same sort of gameplan. That advice served the welterweight G.O.A.T pretty well as he retired as a champion, something not many people achieve in this sport.
Max Holloway has become more of a boxer pretty much in his reign as the Featherweight champion and that came back to bite him at UFC 245. Max Holloway doesn't throw kicks in the same amount that he used to in his younger days and has adapted a Diaz brother sort of style.
He looks to flummox opponents and pick them apart in the later rounds due to his fight IQ and insane cardio but Volkanovski also possesses the same attributes. Their first fight turned out to be such a tactical match up precisely for that reason.
Volkanovski also weighed well over 200 pounds during his days as a Rugby player and still has that strength which translates into his punching power. He trains alongside the likes of Dan Hooker and Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing, where coach Eugene Bareman is a striking maestro.
Max Holloway's training camp without sparring will also be a huge concern going into this fight for his camp. But if you have ever seen Max Holloway converse, you know the guy will be chomping at bits to head back inside the octagon as he looks to take back his crown.
Holloway also fought four title fights between December 2018 and 2019 and that type of workload will be punishing for anyone. This match comes almost seven months after their first bout and gives Max Holloway some much-needed respite and rest.
His cousin was also murdered a week before the Alex Volkanovski fight and it shows his character that the guy never made it an excuse. His slogan of 'It is what it is' signifies his attitude and he is never someone who tends to come up with excuses.
While Volkanovski was impressive in their first meeting, it would be foolish to place your bet against 'Hawaii's Finest'.
