UFC President Dana White says there’s a very good reason as to why Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway are running it back for a third time.
It’s an uncommon scenario that two men fight for a title for a third time, after one of them has already won the first two bouts. However, this scenario is a very different case altogether when examining past fights.
Volkanovski first dethroned Holloway from the 145-pound throne back in December of 2019 with a unanimous decision win. They rematched the following July in a close contest, only for Volkanovski to retain the strap via split decision.
Now, each man has racked up two impressive victories, respectively, since their last contest, setting the stage for their third, and potentially final, meeting.
However, speaking to Yahoo! Sports recently, Dana White was asked about the importance of this fight, specifically in regards to Volkanovski and the respect he receives as champion.
White notes that’s one of the biggest reasons this fight needs to happen, so Volkanovski can silence his doubters once and for all and hopefully gain the respect of the mixed martial arts (MMA) community as featherweight champion.
“It’s so true. And it’s why this fight has to happen again. He needs to do this again. Then the world is wide open to this kid. I mean, he could move to 55. He could stay here and just keep fighting guys here and blow the record out.
“But this is a fight that has to happen, which is, like I said, very unique in this business, when you have a guy who’s already won twice.”
Volkanovski and Holloway will meet in the co-main event of UFC 276 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 2. The card is headlined by a middleweight title clash between defending champion Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannonier.
What do you make of Dana White and his suggestion as to why the trilogy between Volkanovski and Holloway is happening? Who are you picking in the matchup? Sound off in the comments!
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