Alexander Volkanovski: ‘How do I not take that GOAT status?’ with Max Holloway win at UFC 276

Alexander Volkanovski sees a lot on the line in his Max Holloway trilogy bout.

Set to do battle on July 2, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada as part of International Fight Week, Volkanovski will once again look to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweights trap against the man he originally won it from, Max Holloway, at UFC 276.

Both fighters have risen to new heights since their tightly contested rematch in July 2020. Walking out the winner via split decision (watch highlights), Volkanovski has since defended his title twice in brilliant performances against Brian Ortega and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. With a third defeat of “Blessed,” “The Great” believes it will finally cement himself among the very best to ever do it.

“I beat him three times in his prime ... how do I not take that G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) status? This is what’s good about this fight,” Volkanovski said on MMA Fighting’s The MMA Hour. “You and everyone are going to say that I’m the G.O.A.T., I’m the pound-for-pound No. 1 — look at what position this one will put me in, because look at what position he’s in and he’s gone on a tear as well with wins himself, so this certainly makes this fight better and only puts me in a better position if I get another win over him right now.

“People can’t say he’s done,” he concluded. “That’s all crap. So if they haven’t jumped on board now, they will jump on board.”

Despite his two back-to-back losses to Volkanovski in late 2019 and mid-2020, Holloway’s rebound efforts against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez have been two of his career-best displays. The argument was there for the third fight with Volkanovski right after the second as many believed it should have been Holloway’s victory. Another win for the Aussie can lead him to that eventual goal of dual-division champ by attempting to capture the Lightweight crown.

“You’re talking bigger money, you’re talking everything,” Volkanovski said of what a win can bring. “So at the end of the day, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to get everyone on board. We’re talking about having a legacy and looking after my family forever, in doing so you need to do these types of things.”