LAS VEGAS – Alexander Volkanovski left no doubt in his trilogy rematch with Max Holloway.
The UFC featherweight champion put on a clinic against rival Holloway in the UFC 276 co-main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) beat Holloway (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) with a unanimous decision 50-45 sweep of the judges’ scorecards.
The first round started even while both fighters looked to get each other’s distance and timing. But halfway through the round, Volkanovski grew in confidence and talked to Holloway while tagging him with his right hand. The shots were clean and powerful for the champion. In the final seconds, Holloway connected with a couple of good right hands, but it was clear Volkanovski had done the more significant work.
In the second, Volkanovski picked up right where he left off. He tagged Holloway often and seemed to be the quicker fighter. Holloway pressed Volkanovski and looked to get his offense going, but Volkanovski clearly got the better shots. By the halfway point, Volkanovski opened up Holloway above his left eye. Holloway bled a lot, but kept pushing forward.
From that point forward, it was smooth sailing for the most part for the champion. Holloway kept moving forward, looking to get offense going, but Volkanovski’s defense was too much for the Hawaiian. Volkanovski picked his shots and battered Holloway over the next 15 minutes.
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With the win, Volkanovski added to his lengthy streak. The Australian is undefeated in his past 22 bouts, including 12-0 in the UFC. Volkanovski’s lone career loss came in 2013 in regional promotion Australian FC.
Volkanovski’s resume now includes three wins over Holloway, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung. He’s regarded by some as the greatest featherweight of all time.
Holloway now is 0-3 against Volkanovski. The Hawaiian has been unable to get the belt back since he lost it to Volkanovski in December 2019 at UFC 245. Holloway tried to regain it in 2020, but lost by split decision. He then rebounded against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez before Saturday’s third loss to Volkanovski.
