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Following Max Holloway's edge-of-the-seat performance against Yair Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 42, it seems the former champion is destined to fight Alexander Volkanovski for a third time.
In the majority of circumstances, a fighter who has lost two consecutive fights to the champion is seldom, if ever, granted a rematch. However, Max Holloway continues to dispatch contenders, paving a path never traversed by another featherweight.
After two failed bids against Volkanovski, the Hawaiian stand-up artist has painted masterpieces back-to-back.
After setting a significant strike record en route to defeating New England Cartel's Calvin Kattar, Max Holloway could have waited on the sidelines. A faction of the UFC fanbase was already calling for Holloway to get another crack at Australia's Alexander Volkanovski.
With a possible 'Fight of the Year' contender in the books against Yair Rodriguez, here are 5 reasons why the UFC needs to give Holloway a third fight against Alexander Volkanovski.
#5. Max Holloway is the most viable contender at UFC featherweight
Max Holloway deserves another fight against Volkanovski based on merit.
The 29-year-old has steadily added to his repertoire following two consecutive losses to Volkanovski. There are hungry contenders waiting in the wings like Giga Chikadze, and Arnold Allen.
However, Max Holloway's activity and strength of schedule are commanding reasons to give him a third crack at Alexander Volkanovski.
Max Holloway is the most viable contender. The Hawaiian native has defeated the No. 3, No. 4, and the No. 5-ranked featherweights in the weight class. In 2018, Max Holloway earned his second title defense in dramatic fashion against Brian Ortega. UFC 231 took place in a packed Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
Holloway defeated Ortega by doctor stoppage at the end of the fourth round. The performance was so spectacular that he was awarded both 'Fight of the Night' and 'Performance of the Night' honors.
With the fight mostly playing out on the feet, Holloway put a stamp on his reign after being forced to pull out of two title bouts prior due to health concerns.
Max Holloway recently put on a potential 'Fight of the Year' candidate with Mexico's Yair Rodriguez. Prior to his big win at UFC Vegas 42, Max Holloway turned in a record-setting performance against the No. 5-ranked Calvin Kattar.
The former champion has nearly defeated the entire top-five at featherweight. It's time for the former divisional kingpin to get another shot at Volkanovski.
#4. Former UFC champion Max Holloway has improved his grappling
While it may be a single UFC performance, it appears Max Holloway is making steady gains in the grappling department. During his UFC Vegas 42 appearance against Rodriguez, Holloway mixed up his game plan and managed to score some well-timed takedowns.
Over the course of the 5-round fight, Holloway delivered on three takedowns and attempted five. A career record. In fact, at one point Holloway nearly closed the show against Rodriguez.
In a wild scramble, 'Blessed' appeared to have Yair Rodriguez in an air-tight guillotine choke, however, the No. 3-ranked contender would break free just in time.
The fight against Yair Rodriguez was especially risky as it had been two years since he last stepped into the octagon. With a propensity for dynamic striking, anyone watching the sport knew the fight would be fireworks.
While sometimes it's difficult to quantify a fighter's improvements inside the cage, one number in particular stands out about Holloway's recent showing. In his entire UFC tenure, 'Blessed' has only landed a total of five takedowns.
Undoubtedly, Max Holloway's wrestling has improved and that's one more reason to give him a shot against Alexander Volkanovski.
#3. Max Holloway and UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski's first two fights were close
Both UFC championship contests between Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski were close.
Since both fights went to the judge's scorecards, ultimately, the results differ depending on who is asked. In their initial contest, Holloway was champion and Volkanovski's forward pressure and aggression would see him win a championship.
In 2019, Max Holloway lost his UFC featherweight belt after Volkanovski won with a unanimous decision victory. While Volkanovski proved to be more dangerous in their first encounter, it seemed as though they switched hats for the second fight. The former champion approached Volkanovski with a more kickboxing-centric approach.
The two met again in 2020 and the fight was razor close. Max Holloway appeared to clearly win the first two rounds. However, the bout became difficult to score in rounds three and four. In what possibly swayed the judge's opinion of the fight was 'The Great', who scored two timely takedowns against Holloway in the fifth and final round.
Despite securing a second win against Holloway, the general public was divided on who won the fight. Several media outlets scored the fight for Max Holloway. However, the Australian champion's late-game surge would prove to be a deal breaker as he once again walked away with UFC gold.
With so much uncertainty, running it back a third time would eliminate all doubt.
#2. Max Holloway has already fought down in the UFC rankings twice now
Given how active Max Holloway has been in the UFC's 145-pound division, there aren't many options left since he has fought down in the rankings twice now. First, getting back on track, the Hawaiian was paired with Calvin Kattar, who many believe is an extremely potent threat on the feet.
Prior to the fight against Massachusetts' Kattar, Max Holloway was in 'no man's land'. With two losses to the current champion, it was well established that the Hawaiian star would have tons of ground to make up if he were ever to contend for UFC gold again. After setting a significant strike record against Kattar, it seemed Holloway's title hopes still had a heartbeat after all.
Next, in a flex to show he's the clear number one contender, Holloway took out back-to-back contenders with his recent performance against 'El Pantera'. Chan Sung Jung is the only UFC fighter in the top-5 that Holloway hasn't defeated, bar the champ Alexander Volkanovski.
With so few options, there aren't too many available fights for Max Holloway. On a recent episode of Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour, Alexander Volkanovski welcomed a third fight with Max Holloway following the conclusion of the Yair Rodriguez fight.
If the champion is on board, it looks like all the signs are pointing to a featherweight trilogy.
#1. Max Holloway deserves the third fight based on his overall UFC featherweight record
Max Holloway defeated Jose Aldo twice. With seven title defenses in the UFC, few, if any, will match the ferocity of Aldo's title reign. While Alexander Volkanovski has also beaten 'Junior', it's the way in which Holloway usurped the featherweight crown that made him such an imposing challenger.
After winning the UFC interim featherweight title in 2016, 'Blessed' unified the belts against Aldo in 2017. The Hawaiian star would not only defeat Aldo, but finish him with strikes in front of a sold-out crowd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After becoming the undisputed 145-pound titleholder, Max Holloway cemented his status as one of the greats with a third finish against Jose Aldo.
In their second outing at UFC 218 in Detroit, Max Holloway would polish off Aldo again. The former champion would TKO Aldo in the third round to earn his first title defense. Following the contest, Max Holloway's name began to be shared in 'GOAT' conversations.
Max Holloway is on the precipise of title contention. With back-to-back victories over ranked competition and a possible 'FOTY' candidate, 'Blessed' is closing in on a third fight with Australia's Volkanovski.
If Max Holloway continues to put up performances like he has lately, there will be no denying the former champion his third crack at 'The Great'.
