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Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway are set to lock horns in one of the biggest featherweight fights ever next month. 145-pound contender Josh Emmett recently hedged his bets for the upcoming championship bout.
Although he admitted that both fighters are extremely talented, Emmett declared that he was leaning towards Volkanovski, the reigning champion, to walk away with the win. In an interview with The Schmo, the No.7-ranked featherweight contender said:
"Man, it's tough, you know. Max and Volkanovski are some of the best featherweights of all time right now and it's hard to go against the champion. I know he's, you know, the first fight, he won that hands down. The second fight was super close, a little controversial. It's hard to go against the champion. He's also undefeated [in the UFC]. I'm looking forward to that fight. They're both phenomenal fighters, phenomenal champions. I'm not sure, man. I could see it going either way, but I'm leaning towards the champion, Volkanovski."
Catch Josh Emmett's full interview with The Schmo below:
Volkanovski and Holloway are currently hurtling towards what could mark the final edition of their rivalry. Their highly anticipated trilogy fight is scheduled to take place at UFC 276 on July 2 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The duo were initially slated to lock horns at UFC 273. However, 'Blessed' was forced to pull out of the bout after he reportedly re-aggravated an injury and was subsequently replaced by Chan Sung Jung. Volkanovski handily beat Jung to retain his featherweight strap.
The Australian champion will be looking to put a stamp on his championship reign with another victory over Holloway at the next UFC pay-per-view.
What is Max Holloway's record against Alexander Volkanovski?
Max Holloway is 0-2 against the reigning featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski. They initially went toe-to-toe against each other in the co-main event at UFC 245 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, back in 2019.
Putting on an absolutely clinical performance in their first meeting, Volkanovski managed to outpoint Holloway to lay claim to the UFC featherweight strap. The judges scored the contest 48-47, 48-47 and 50-45 to hand him the win by way of unanimous decision.
Watch Volkanovski and Holloway's post-fight interviews at UFC 245 below:
The duo subsequently ran it back at UFC 251 back in July 2020. This time, the result of this fight was more controversial than their previous outing inside the cage.
The judges scored the fight in favor of Alexander Volkanovski by way of split decision. However, a major faction of the MMA community, including UFC president Dana White, believed that Max Holloway was robbed on the night.
Watch a recap of Volkanovski vs. Holloway 2 below:
