If Max Holloway wants to get his hands back on the UFC featherweight title, it’s unlikely to happen as long as Alexander Volkanovski is on top of the division.
UFC president Dana White isn’t a fan of setting up a historic fourth fight between the two elite featherweights who have already shared the cage three times in title fights.
Since 2013, Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) is 18-0 in featherweight bouts against opponents not named Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC). After his third loss to the current champion last July, Holloway has since handed Arnold Allen his first loss in the promotion, and retired “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung by third-round knockout at UFC Fight Night 225 in Singapore.
With each Holloway win, it becomes clearer that he is simply a level above the rest of the division. But with each spectacular performance also comes questions about what it would take to reach a historic fourth title fight against Volkanovski. Unfortunately for Holloway, the Australian champion appears to have his number, which sets up a roadblock between the Hawaiian and the title.
Volkanovski has defeated Holloway three times; by unanimous decision at UFC 145, by split decision at UFC 251 and another unanimous nod at UFC 276
White believes the gap between the two is too wide, and isn’t on board with a fourth meeting.
“I just think that Volkanovski is so dominant right now,” White told reporters including MMA Junkie during the DWCS 60 post-event news conference. “I mean, there’s people who believe he beat Islam (Makhachev). I don’t know if you throw Max at him again at this point in Max’s career. I don’t love it.”
Volkanovski’s only loss since the fourth fight of his professional career in 2013 came at the hands of Makhachev when “The Great” moved up to lightweight in an attempt to become a two-division champion. Volkanovski then returned to featherweight to fight the interim champion Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 in July, and unified the title by TKO in the third round.
As Holloway has solidified his position as a step above everyone aside from the champion at 145, Volkanovski has also done that, but with Holloway included. Holloway said he intends to keep plugging away at challengers to earn another crack at gold and potentially set up the second quadrilogy title fight since the Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo saga. It would also be a first for the division.
Holloway may be able to convince the UFC boss someday, but for now, White is out on the idea.
“People want to know? Tell ‘people’ it’s a bad idea.”