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#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.
