Add Kenny Florian to the long list of individuals who believe Max Holloway should’ve been given the nod in his rematch with Alex Volkanovski.
Holloway looked to avenge his Dec. 2019 UFC featherweight title loss to Volkanovski. “Blessed” and “The Great” collided a second time in the co-main event of UFC 251 on July 11. After five rounds of action, Holloway fell short via split decision. It was a controversial decision that even UFC president Dana White didn’t agree with.
During an edition of the Anik & Florian Podcast, “KenFlo” said it’s hard not to feel for Holloway after the effort he put forth.
“It’s unfortunate, man,” Florian said on Max Holloway’s split decision loss at UFC 251. “Max Holloway made some amazing adjustments. First of all, that’s the old Holloway. Holloway decided not to be a boxer anymore. He was way lighter on that lead kick, so he didn’t take damage to the calf like he did in that first fight. He was moving in and out. He was mixing up his strikes, something that Holloway hasn’t done in a very long time. And wouldn’t you know it he was extremely effective with it, knocking down Volkanovski, hurting Volkanovski throughout that fight, confusing Volkanovski throughout that fight.”
Florian went on to say that he doesn’t agree with those who call Volkanovski vs. Holloway 2 a robbery.
“To call this a robbery, I think is false,” Florian continued when discussing Max Holloway’s rematch with Volkanovski. “It was a close fight but I do think the judges got it wrong. I would’ve loved to have seen a trilogy, I still think it’s warranted but you gotta wonder what this does for Max Holloway and where this puts him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see if he goes up to 155 to try to mix things up a little bit. I don’t know, who’s there at 145 that he hasn’t beaten already where he needs to get back to the top? I don’t know, it’s just kind of a confusing time for Holloway at this point.”
Volkanovski certainly isn’t short on options for his next title defense. The UFC can go with the winner of Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Yair Rodriguez or slot in the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung or Brian Ortega. There’s also the wildcard option of Henry Cejudo being lured out of retirement.
As for Holloway, it appears his hopes of another featherweight title shot are dashed unless Volkanovski drops the 145-pound gold.
What do you think is next for Max Holloway after suffering another loss to Alex Volkanovski?