Alexander Volkanovski’s next challenger isn’t set, according to UFC president Dana White.
However, in a recent interview with ESPN, White indicated it’ll be tough for the promotion not to go in the direction of a third fight against Max Holloway – especially considering that many other top contenders will be tied up over the next few months.
“Well, here’s the thing,” White said. “Calvin Kattar just fought. Yair Rodriguez has a fight coming up. (Korean) ‘Zombie’ has a fight coming up. Ortega and Zabit – all of these guys are going to fight in the next couple of months here. We’ll see how that all plays out. It’s hard to not say we can give Max a rematch for that fight again – do it a third time. I think all of the fans and the media would agree with that. I don’t know for sure.”
The two fighters have competed twice, with Volkanovski winning both outings by decision. He took the 145-pound belt from Holloway at UFC 245 in December. Then, at UFC 251 in July, Volkanovski (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defeated Holloway (21-6 MMA, 17-6 UFC) by split decision, which generated mixed reactions from fans and media.
Although White expressed his openness to a third fight, he understands the idea probably won’t appeal to the UFC featherweight champion. Volkanovski will likely want a new challenger, White said.
“I’m sure Volkanovski doesn’t love that idea,” White said. “He’s like, ‘Listen, I just beat this guy twice. You know?’ And if you’re Volkanovski, you’re like, ‘Guess what? The media aren’t judges. Dana White is not a judge. None of these people are judges. The people that are assigned to judge the fight say I won twice.’
“So if you’re Volkanovski, I get it. And if you’re Volkanovski, you probably want to take a look at a different guy. I don’t know. I haven’t really talked to Volkanovski about it. It’s something I definitely need to do. We’ll see how this thing plays out.”
