Alexander Volkanovski Shuts Down Talks for a Trilogy Fight With Max Holloway

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski spoke to MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and provided a run-down of his divisional fighters. Chiefly, the City-Kickboxing star touched upon his arch-rival in Max Holloway and brushed aside the thought of facing ‘Blessed’ a third time. Holloway and Volkanovski are tied together at the hip due to the close-fought battles they shared.

The two elite 145-pounders first met at UFC 245, when Alexander ‘The Great’ did enough to win the night on the scorecards. The long-reigning former champion in Max was then granted an immediate rematch due to his storied career in the weight class. They would meet again at UFC 251 in a fight wherein the result was highly contested by fans and fighters.

Alexander Volkanovski retained his gold strap by split decision, but unfortunately lost some fans in the bout. The general consensus was the Holloway had done enough to win, however, the result reflected otherwise.

Alexander Volkanovski says a Max Holloway trilogy is ridiculous

The former rugby player has been trying to separate himself away from Max Holloway’s massive brand and build himself a new identity. Although he hasn’t completely disregarded a third bout with Holloway, it certainly isn’t high on the agenda.

“People are saying I should fight Max again, and it’s just ridiculous. I have a lot of respect for Max, and that’s why I gave him the rematch. But just because it was a close fight, it doesn’t mean I’m gonna give him another fight. At least not right now.” 

Additionally, the 22-1 fighter provided another divisional contender who could serve as a suitable next step for Max. Calvin Kattar has been on a tear in the featherweight division as of late. Not to mention, he poses a style that is conducive to a ‘Fight of the Night’ with ‘Blessed’.

Volkanovski said, “That’d be a good fight. Kattar’s got some good hands, so that’d be a very interesting fight. I’d love to see that.”

“If Max was to fight Kattar and he fights someone else, then he’s right back up there. I want No.1 contenders, and if he gets himself there, and there is no one else, let’s do it again. I’m having people telling me he beat me the last two fights. It’s just crazy. Obviously, he has loyal fans. The second fight was close, the first one really wasn’t, but a lot of people are still talking about it so maybe a little way down the track we can make that happen. Let me take out some contenders.”

The 145-pound weight class has no shortage of killers who are game for a crack at divisional gold. There are several marquee match-ups with ‘The Korean Zombie’, Brian Ortega, and Zabit Magomedsharipov waiting in the wings. They could be new puzzles for the champion to solve.