Max Holloway is riding with his old nemesis, Alexander Volkanovski, to reclaim the featherweight title this weekend.
This Saturday, Volkanovski takes on Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight belt in the main event of UFC 314. It’s Volkanovski’s first fight back since dropping the title to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 last year and a pivotal moment in the career of an all-time great. Volkanovski is coming in off back-to-back knockout losses, and now he faces a surging Lopes, who is on a five-fight winning streak. It’s a fascinating matchup and one that Holloway could see going either way.
“There’s only two ways I see this fight going,” Holloway said on his YouTube channel. “If Alex is the winner, I think he goes to vintage Alex, stick and move, pop shot, and inside leg kicks, maybe grapples, maybe against the fence some dirty boxing against the cage, and he ekes out a decision, maybe a unanimous decision.
“Or if Diego wins, it’s in the first three rounds. I think Diego catches him. He starts like 100 miles per hour. He comes at you, and he’s like a crazy train. He’s like a train flying off the tracks. He comes running at you, punching at you.”
Holloway has plenty of experience with “vintage” Volkanovski.
The two shared 75 minutes of octagon time in their memorable trilogy, with Volkanovski winning all three bouts. But since their third fight, Volkanovski has had a tough run, losing three of his next four bouts, including brutal knockout losses to Islam Makachev and Ilia Topuria in his two most recent fights. Volkanovski took a year off to recover from his losses as he looks to reclaim what was once his, and despite the concerns, Holloway believes he will get it done.
“I think the most dangerous part of this fight is definitely the first two rounds for Volk,” Holloway said. “Maybe three. But if Volk goes to vintage Volk, sticking and moving, leg kicking, being smart, getting him against the cage, maybe even take him down here and there. I know Diego has great jiu-jitsu, great grappling, [but] Volk trains with one of the greatest grapplers in the world, Craig Jones. …
“At the end of the day, I think Volk should recapture, but I can see Diego capturing it and catching Volk. But it’s MMA. Shit happens. I’ve been wrong many times.”
UFC 314 takes place this Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.
