Alexander Volkanovski completely shuts Max Holloway down in trilogy at UFC 276
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to us tonight, July 2, 2022, for UFC 276, going down live from the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Headlining the event is a middleweight championship bout between current champion Israel Adesanya, who looks to make the fifth-straight defense of his crown tonight opposing no. 2 ranked Jared Cannonier.
Co-headlining the event is a trilogy bout between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and former champion Max Holloway.
Each of these men have gone 2-0 since their immediate rematch exactly two years ago at UFC 251.
Continue reading to see how this epic lightweight contest went down:
Official Result: Alexander Volkanovski def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
The fight starts and Holloway is looking to press the action, picking up where he left off in the second round of their second fight. However, rather than looking like their rematch, this looks more like Volkanovski’s last fight against Chan Sung Jung.
Volkanovski is absolutely on point tonight; he’s quick, accurate, he’s making Holloway miss a lot. He really looks incredible. Holloway is able to continue controlling the center, and he’s able to land some of his own shots, but he’s certainly a step behind throughout the first 15 minutes.
Now time for the championship rounds.
Volkanovski opens up a cut on the former champion during the second round, and it bleeds worse and worse as the rounds go on. Following four rounds of busting Holloway’s face up, Volkanovski has outstruck him by a significant margin in each round.
Holloway opens up the fifth round with a takedown attempt, and continues to try for them throughout the round, though he’s unable to secure any. He continues to press the action, but also continues to get punched and kicked by the champion, who’s evidently just on another level to anyone else.
The first encounter between these two wasn’t per se a dominant win for Volkanovski, but he did win four rounds to one, or all five on account of his leg kicks. The second time around, Holloway won the first half of the fight, and Volkanovski won the second half.
One could make the argument Holloway won three of those rounds and did so more dominantly than Volkanovski did the final two, but tonight left no doubt, Alexander Volkanovski is the better man.
Where does Max Holloway go from here, following a 0-3 skid to the champion?
And, what’s next for our featherweight champion? Josh Emmett, or a lightweight title fight, superfight clash with Charles Oliveira? Let us know what you think down below.
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