Alexander Volkanovski reflects on Max Holloway rivalry: ‘He’s made me raise the bar’

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. 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 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 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 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.”