Max Holloway Says He Rejected the Title Fight Against Alexander Volkanovski

Max Holloway returns to action this weekend after almost 10-months off. ‘Blessed’ last fought in January this year when he took on Calvin Kattar on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Holloway put on a striking masterclass as he completely annihilated Kattar on his way to a lopsided unanimous decision win. Following the win, many believed he would get a rematch against Alexander Volkanovski. 

However, on the same day that a title fight between Volkanovski and Ortega was announced, a fight between Holloway and Rodriguez was set for July. Unfortunately, Holloway had to pull out of the fight scheduled for July due to an undisclosed injury. The UFC, therefore, rescheduled the fight for this weekend. 

In a recent interview, Ariel Helwani asked Holloway why he was not fighting Volkanovski instead of Rodriguez. Holloway replied, “I did not want to wait till new year. I wanted to keep on fighting. Everyone, everywhere, every time, let’s get it.”

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‘Blessed’ continued, “Yeah, you know, the UFC told us they told us we did not have to. They told us we could wait it out. But I was like ‘Yeah I ain’t about that’. We ain’t about that. I talked to my team. I let my team know, and they were all on board and we’re here today.”

Max Holloway vs Yair Rodriguez- A preview 

Rodriguez returns to action after almost two years out. His last fight was a unanimous decision win over Jeremy Stephens back in October 2019. The fight between the two men will be a five-round affair.

Many believe that this will favor Holloway, given how well-conditioned he is. As a former champion, ‘Blessed’ is also more used to five-round fights and has gone the distance multiple times.

The fight between the two men will be a striking contest between two of the very best at 145-pounds. Going into the fight, Rodriguez will have a two-inch reach advantage. It will be interesting to see how ‘El Pantera’ uses that against the self-proclaimed best boxer in the UFC. 

What do you make of the fight between Holloway and Rodriguez? Who do you think takes the win? Let us know in the comments below!

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