Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway will share the Octagon again next month for their highly-anticipated featherweight rematch.
The Australian fighter pulled off a shocker last December when he defeated Max Holloway in their UFC 245 co-main event clash in Las Vegas.
Landing a new record of 46 leg kicks through three rounds, Volkanovski cruised to a unanimous decision win to become the new king of the 145-pound division.
In his young UFC career, he already beaten the two greatest featherweights in the history in Holloway and Jose Aldo. To this, Volkanovski believes his name will be in the GOAT conversation soon.
“I’m not a cocky type of person, but I’m confident. I said that this was going to happen and I’ve gone out there and done that,” he told Sporting News.
“I’ve taken down two of the featherweight GOATs – there’s always talks about who is the greatest featherweight – and I took them both out. That’s saying that I’m well on my way to being one of the GOATs myself.”
Alexander Volkanovski v Max Holloway is set to take place at #UFC251
Who takes the rematch? pic.twitter.com/aKqhK6El4z
— Overtime Heroics MMA (@mma_oth) June 9, 2020
Fight Island
In his first title-defence, Volkanovski will face the same opponent from his UFC 245 outing as the promotion booked the featherweight title rematch for UFC 251.
UFC president Dana White announced on Tuesday that the Volkanovski vs Holloway rematch will go down at UFC 251 on July 11 in the first ever UFC Fight Island in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
“Abu Dhabi has created this safety zone on the Island within ten square miles will just be inhabited by us (the UFC),” White said in a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take.
“It will include an arena, hotel, training facilities for the fighters that are private so the whole thing is covered, dining establishment and yes, there is an Octagon on the beach.”
https://twitter.com/FirstTake/status/1270383685670449158
Stacked Card
UFC 251 is shaping to be one of the most stacked fight cards in 2020 as White is also looking to add a welterweight title clash featuring Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns and a showdown between Petr Yan and Jose Aldo for the vacant bantamweight title.
Meanwhile, the UFC president told Eddie Hearn and Tony Bellew: “Fight Island is so f***ing expensive and so f***ing crazy – and almost impossible to pull off.”
“You’re talking about planes, flying people over, you have to quarantine people. It’s insane to be even trying to do this. But I promise you we will do it and we will pull it off.”
“I believe that in doing this, it’s going to help grow the sport immensely. It’s going to help financially and in many different ways. I know we can do it.”
“I’m hoping the first fight should be June 27,’ he said. ‘I’m not saying it’s going to be June 27, but that’s the date I’m shooting for.”
https://twitter.com/RobDeMelloKHON/status/1270436606957117440
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway)