Just days after it was announced that the bout would headline UFC 272, it has been reported that Max Holloway has been forced out of his March bout with champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Just days after it was announced that Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski were going to fight in March, it has been reported that Holloway is out of the fight. ESPN reports that Holloway re-aggravated an injury and has been forced out of the March 05 fight.
Holloway (23-6) was set to fight Volkanovski for the third time and make a second attempt to reclaim the belt. The former champion earned the bout after defeating both Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez to further establish himself as the best featherweight in the division outside of Volkanovski. The pair have already collided in two highly competitive contests, with Volkanovski winning by decision both times.
Notably, Holloway was forced to withdraw from a summer bout with Rodriguez after not being cleared by the athletic commission after dealing with an injury. It is unclear whether this same injury or a new one stemming from the rescheduled November bout with Rodriguez is the cause of his latest withdrawal.
Volkanovski is in the midst of a staggering 20 fight win-streak that includes the victories over Holloway, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo, and Chad Mendes. His fight with Ortega in September was voted as one of the best fights of the year, with the third round taking honors by most publications as the round of the year for 2021.
Currently, the card is still set to feature the bantamweight title rematch between champion Aljamain Sterling and interim champion Petr Yan. Per the report, the event is still set to go on. There is no word yet on whether the UFC will look to keep Volkanovski on the card against another opponent or if they will look prioritize the trilogy with Holloway at a later date.
