Alexander Volkanovski would love to add a second title to his resume because he just closed out his rivalry against another all-time great featherweight in Max Holloway with a dominant decision win in the UFC 276 co-main event.
A close fight in the opening round gave way to a lopsided performance from Volkanovski with each passing minute as he just poured on the punishment round after round, which left Holloway a bloody mess when the final horn sounded. The judges all scored the fight 50-45, which moved Volkanovski to 3-0 against Holloway.
With that performance, Volkanovski is now looking at the lightweight division as potentially his next stop after dispatching Holloway for presumable the last time.
After the victory,
“Max Holloway was described as “an absolute beast” by Volkanovski. “I just proved to you that I want to be in this octagon as much as possible. It’s my goal to keep busy. I would like to be promoted and run for double champ. I will keep the two divisions busy.
“Charles [Oliveira], whoever gets that belt, no disrespect, I’d love to move up, get that double champ status.”
It was a game of inches between the two best featherweights in the world at the start with Volkanovski loading up on a right hand and Holloway moving forward while looking to establish his volume striking attack. The difference in the early going was Volkanovski’s timing and speed as he was connecting in rhythm with a stinging left followed by a hard right behind it.
Holloway began to reciprocate the favor when he could get out the exchanges. This allowed him to throw multiple punches at once and was where he finally started to hit the mark. Even though there were some difficulties, Volkanovski kept connecting with greater power. Holloway had to learn how not to overextend himself.
Midway through the second round, Volkanovski unleashed a perfect timed counter right hand that caught Holloway coming forward and the result was a huge gash opened up over the Hawaiian’s left eye. The cut was in a bad spot directly over the eye as blood starting dripping down Holloway’s face.
There was understandable urgency from Holloway at the start of the third, especially dealing with such a terrible cut that could force the ringside doctor to take a deeper look at him later in the fight. Holloway was trying to come back from the problem of blood in his eye and Volkanovski’s power and precision.
Incredibly, Volkanovski continued to increase his output as he pursued Holloway late in the fight with the same smooth jab from the left and was followed by a devastating right. The damage was really mounting on Holloway with Volkanovski just pouring on the punishment yet still staying controlled enough that he never gave the former champion an opening to catch him.
As the time ticked down to the end of round five, Volkanovski continued his efforts for victory while Holloway was barely covered in sweat and blood as the fight was over.
Volkanovski had already defined himself as the best featherweight in the sport but he now holds three wins over Holloway, who previously had his own argument as one of the top 145-pound fighters in history.
With no champion at the lightweight level, Volkanovski suggested that he might be the one to fight when the UFC is preparing for its next title fight.
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