Las Vegas, NV — Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will fight Alexander Volkanovski for the third time this Saturday at UFC 276. And to Holloway, there is more on the line than just a title.
For Holloway (23-6), considered one of the best featherweight mixed martial artists of all time, it’s legacy that hangs in the balance this weekend.
“This is a legacy fight, one hundred percent,” Holloway told media outlets including Cageside Press during Wednesday’s UFC 276 media day. “You guys all know what pound-for-pound ranking he is. You guys know what pound-for-pound ranking I am. And we’re on the higher end of the pound-for-pound ranks.”
Situations like that, observed Holloway, haven’t happened in the past decade. Only one exception comes to mind, he added, “and that’s DC [Daniel Cormier] and [Jon] Jones. So this is a legacy fight. This is huge in every way. To be honest, people are calling us the main event of this card, and that’s saying a lot. That’s saying a lot about this fight. So that’s what it is.”
Volkanovski, who has twice before defeated Holloway, albeit in close and controversial decisions, is currently the #2 fighter on the UFC’s Pound-for-Pound list. Holloway is ranked #6. In a list comprised mostly of champions and ex-champs, Holloway actually ranks above three reigning UFC title holders.
Despite Saturday’s UFC 276 marking his third fight with Alexander Volkanovski, Holloway is approaching it from scratch, like he always does.
“Every fight we’re going in, we’re 0-0. Every fight we attack like it’s my first fight and my last fight,” stated the Hawaiian. “I carry myself like a champion. It’s not a champion’s mindset, it’s a champion’s responsibility. And that’s what we do.”
He also expects to look like an entirely new fighter.
“I had 10 rounds with the guy. I mean if you watch from the first to the second fight, two different fighters, you know? From the second to this fight is going to be different fighters again,” Holloway predicted. “But I feel good, I feel great, I feel on. I got to spend 50 minutes with this guy, 10 rounds with this guy. I’ve been saying it all week, you guys will be blessed if we go above three. I can’t wait.”
Watch the full UFC 276 media day appearance by Max Holloway above. The event takes place this Saturday, July 2, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
