Volkanovski Reflects on Holloway Rivalry: ‘He’s Made Me Raise the Bar’

There’s no doubt this time around: Alexander Volkanovski brought closure to his rivalry with Max Holloway at UFC 276 on Saturday night.

The City Kickboxing stalwart was dominant in a unanimous decision triumph over the popular Hawaiian, sweeping the scorecards by a trio of 50-to-45 counts. Unlike the first two meetings, there was no debate about who deserved to get the nod. And no matter what popular opinion might be, the record shows that Volkanovski is 3-0 in his trilogy against Holloway.

“It’s been a bit of a journey this rivalry,” Volkanovski said at the UFC 276 post-fight press conference. “Like taking the belt, having the rematch, and all that talk and all that was a bit part of my career, and it adds to the story. It was hard. There were a lot of ups and downs in there. There was a bit I had to get through, but it was good to finally put an end to it and silence a lot of people.”

Despite now owning a winning streak that is now 22 professional fights — 12 in the UFC — Volkanovski admits that there were times that perception bothered him, especially concerning his matchups against Holloway. Ultimately, he used that as motivation.

“I’ve moved past it, so I don’t hold a grudge,” Volkanovski said. “It’s all good. But there was a time that s—t did get to me. It was hurting, it was hard time, but it made me who I am now, so I’m proud that it happened. It was a good experience for me, made me unstoppable, invincible. A lot of people were bringing me down.”

Volkanovski also credits Holloway for elevating him to another level. Before the 33-year-old Aussie rose to the top of the division, Holloway was neck-and-neck with Jose Aldo in conversations regarding the greatest featherweight of all time.

“I wouldn’t be the fighter I am today without him,” Volkanovski said of Holloway. “He’s made me raise the bar. I don’t need anyone help me raise the bar, I do it myself, but he makes it easy to make me be disciplined.”

Now, it’s nearly impossible to have a featherweight GOAT discussion without including Volkanovski, and his 3-0 mark against Holloway really makes his resume stand out.

“To sit there and take someone like Max three times, that’s really, really, really saying something,” he said. “They are a lot bigger wins than your average defense.”