5 months after the defeat, Max Holloway finally opened up about his split-decision loss against Alexander Volkanovski.
In 2020 the Octagon became the central point which witnessed a number of much-anticipated rematches. There was Daniel Cormier Vs. Stipe Miocic, Mauricio Rua Vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ion Cutelaba Vs. Magomed Ankalae etc. But when it comes to creating a spectacle and the after-match rumblings, only one of the sort has made headlines, and that is Alexander Volkanovski Vs. Max Holloway.
The match took place at UFC 251 and it was the Featherweight championship rematch of UFC 245. On both occasions, it was Volkanovski who prevailed, but contrary to his unanimous decision win at UFC 245, his victory at UFC 251 became a subject of controversy.
The second bout between these individuals was an enthralling and a close contest. Where, after 25 exhilarating minutes it was tough to pick a side. However, judges adjudged Alexander Vokanovski as the winner via split decision. Consequently, in the after-match debates initiated and apparently a large section of the enthusiasts believed it should have been Holloway holding the Featherweight gold in the end.
While 5 months have passed and now the dust has settled around the result of the match, but still the matter often gets highlighted. In the wake of that finally, Max Holloway has expressed his views on the match.
Also Read: Who is Mick Maynard?: The man Dana White hails for restructuring the Flyweight division
Max Holloway Reflects On His Split-Decision Loss To Alexander Volkanovski
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Max Holloway conveyed his thoughts about the loss against Alexander Volkanovski and stated that the results do not bother him and in this case, he was overwhelmed by the reaction of enthusiasts and his peers.
“It is what it was”, Holloway said. “ Me personally, I don’t really think if matters if I won the fight. I don’t think it matters, what matters most to me is how most people think. Dana White doesn’t call me up after the fight and be like ‘hey kid, did you think you won the fight?’, this doesn’t happen. It doesn’t matter what I think. But the UFC, you guys, the world they can see 80 to 90% of the world thinks I won, and that’s what matters to them and that’s what mattered to me.
“I guess whatever job you have at the end of the day, what do you care about is when you got to ask yourself. You care about the money, you care about the company but, what else. When it comes to mine, for me is you care about respect and respect from your peers.”
“It is what it was, you move on”
Holloway continued and said, “After the fight, I could see my peers and what they were saying. And they was sticking their necks out for me. These aren’t fans this is fighters, this is actual other fighters. It’s Jorge, it’s Nate, it’s Dustin uh Justin, the list goes on.
“All these guys cannot agree on what color the sky is but, they agreed on one thing that night. For us George St-Pierre’s coach saying it, big John. everybody know Big John’s a referee. He’s not only a referee, this dude he made the rules. He has classes for judges, this is the man I mean he has classes for these judges to take to make the rules and he thought I won the fight and of course Dana White said what he said so, with all that being said it’s hard for me to be mad. It is what it was, you move on.”
Click Here For More UFC News
