Max Holloway will defend his featherweight belt against Frankie Edgar next month at UFC 240, but according to fellow 145-pounder Renato Carneiro, Alexander Volkanovski should be the man standing across from Holloway.
“Moicano” was on his own title run before being stopped in his tracks by his fellow Brazilian in Jose Aldo back in February. Aldo then faced off against Volkanovski last month and was completely shut down with the Aussie dominating him over the entire three rounds in Rio de Janeiro to win by unanimous decision.
Carneiro told Bloody Elbow that Volkanovski’s last two wins, including the manner in which he defeated Aldo last month, should have worked in his favor and that a title bout between Holloway and Volkanovski “makes more sense.”
“I think Max and Volkanovski makes more sense, because Volkanovski is coming off a big win,” Moicano said. “He beat Chad Mendes; Mendes was a great contender. And Jose Aldo is a legend. So for me, the fight to do is Max and Volkanovski.”
Carneiro understands why Edgar was awarded the title fight, given the veteran’s history with the promotion and the fact that he stepped up last year to fight Brian Ortega after Holloway had pulled out of their bout. Edgar lost that fight and the chance to fight Holloway for the belt, at the time at least.
“I know Frankie Edgar has a lot of history for the UFC,” Moicano said. “He was champion at lightweight. He has a huge fanbase. Everybody loves him; he is a great guy. For me, he is starting to think about retiring, because I think he is getting (to be) 40, I don’t know.
“I saw him talking about something like, ‘UFC has to give me this title shot, because I did so much for the company.’ It’s like a reward to Frankie. I agree with that too, because Frankie Edgar is a great former champion. And it’ll be a great fight.”
Carneiro is back in action on Saturday night when he takes on Chan-Sung Jung, better known as “The Korean Zombie,” at UFC Fight Night 154 in Greenville, South Carolina.