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Alexander
Volkanovski’s second triumph over Max
Holloway wasn’t nearly as clear as the first, but the
Australian champion put together a strong finish to earn a
contentious split-decision triumph in the UFC 251 co-main event on
Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.
Of the 27 media scorecards tracked by MMADecisions.com, 18 thought
that Holloway won the fight, while nine scored it for Volkanovski.
Meanwhile, UFC president Dana White didn’t agree with the judging
for the bout.
“Listen, man, you can’t leave it to these guys,” White said at
Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “We’ve got some bad
judging. Has Max been in here yet? I’m sure he’s devastated.”
Holloway did his best work early, buckling the champion with a high
kick late in Round 1 and again with an uppercut in the later
portions of the second frame. Volkanovski increased his urgency
beginning in Round 3, however, as he attacked with greater punching
volume while mixing in clinches and takedowns. Leg kicks were also
a primary weapon, but not quite as key as they were in their first
meeting at UFC 245. At the end of the bout, Volkanovski held a
137-to-102 edge in significant strikes while also landing the
fight’s only three takedowns.
Regardless of the method, the City Kickboxing felt he did enough to
win.
“It was a tough one,” Volkanovski said after the bout. “We expected
him to make adjustments, he made good adjustments in the first two
rounds. Then he did what we actually expected him too with the
attacks. But his first two rounds were strong then we had to pick
it up. Through the third round we picked it up. That third round
was close, but we were confident we got that third round then
obviously we took the fourth and fifth. Tight fight, but when the
judges announced the score we thought we got the last three. Happy
with the win. To win a rematch like that back to back, it says
something. I’m happy to finish the chapter. On to the next.”
Volkanovski’s striking advantage increased over the final 15
minutes, and Holloway, while consistently competitive, didn’t
author any signature moments as he did in Rounds 1 and 2.
Volkanovski has now won nine straight UFC appearances and 19
professional bouts overall.
“I showed what champions are made of,” Volkanovski said. “This
sport isn’t easy and I showed what I’m made of. Certain champions
can dig deep like I did. I’m proud I did and got the job done and
can bring this [belt] home to Australia to my friends and
family.”
The disputed nature of the verdict made some question whether a
trilogy could be in store. However, Volkanovski is 2-0 against the
Hawaiian featherweight, so he believes it would take some work for
“Blessed” to get another title shot.
“You never know,” Volkanovski said. “Obviously, he’s got to go
through the rankings system now and I don’t think the first fight
was close. This was probably closer than the first fight but again,
I got he job done. Doesn’t matter. I feel like I showed I’m the
best fighter in the world even today. I believe I finished that
chapter. I don’t know where he goes from here, I don’t know if he
wants to move up or whatever. But I did what I needed to do.”