Alexander Volkanovski-Max Holloway Trilogy Match Targeted for UFC 276 on July 2

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— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) May 5, 2022

The only trilogy in Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight history is set to conclude this July.

On Wednesday night, Ariel Helwani brought word that the promotion was aiming to put together Alexander Volkanovski (24-1) vs. Max Holloway (23-6) part three in July. Helwani’s dates included July 2 or July 30, and on Thursday, MMA Junkie broke that UFC 276 on July 2 would play host to the much-anticipated matchup. Both Holloway and Volkanovski have confirmed that the contracts have been signed and the fight is on.

Volkanovski, who is up two wins to zero against Holloway in their series thus far, has prevailed in his last 21 appearances. “The Great” first claimed the strap from Holloway in 2019, defended it against Holloway in an automatic rematch in 2022, and has subsequently staved off a pair of challengers. In 2021, Volkanovski outworked Brian Ortega to take home a decision, while he battered Chan Sung Jung in April to knock out “The Korean Zombie” early into the fourth frame. The only person to come close to overcoming the Aussie in his miraculous run is Holloway, who took the City Kickboxing staple to a split decision in their first fight and had a majority of media members score it for Holloway in the rematch.



At 145 pounds, the only man to top Holloway dating back to 2013 is Volkanovski. On his run towards greatness, “Blessed” racked up 13 straight wins in his division, where he claimed the interim strap against Anthony Pettis and then busted up Jose Aldo twice to unify and defend it. Like his upcoming opponent, the Hawaiian registered a pair of victorious defenses against Ortega and Frankie Edgar. Since his two losses to the Australian champ, Holloway registered a record-shattering performance against Calvin Kattar at the beginning of 2021, and came back in November to beat Yair Rodriguez across five thrilling rounds.

UFC 276 will go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to conclude the organization’s yearly International Fight Week festival. It is currently unclear if Volkanovski-Holloway 3 will serve as its headliner, as an oft-discussed interim heavyweight title clash between Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones is rumored to come at this fight card. Other key matchups on the billing include a rescheduled middleweight pairing between Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira, as well as a women’s flyweight clash pitting Miesha Tate against Lauren Murphy.