Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski official for UFC 245 this December
An anticipated featherweight title fight between current UFC champion Max Holloway and top contender Alexander Volkanovski has been made official for UFC 245 on Dec. 14 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, per Australia’s Daily Telegraph (later confirmed by MMA Junkie).
The bout was originally rumored to take place at UFC 243 this October in Australia, but UFC president Dana White didn’t believe Holloway could make a quick enough turnaround after defending his title against Frankie Edgar at UFC 240 this past July.
Volkanovski delivered the following message to his fans following the news (via Twitter):
“Ready to show everybody who the best FW in the world is! #UFC245”
Holloway, 27, is coming off that aforementioned unanimous decision title win over Edgar just two months ago. The pound-for-pound standout had lost to Dustin Poirier in an interim lightweight title fight before that, which ended Holloway’s ridiculous 13-fight win streak dating back to 2014. “Blessed” has never looked better at 145 pounds and is primed for more success inside of the Octagon, but that doesn’t mean a mistake on fight night can’t cost him his title reign opposite Volkanovski.
Volkanovski, 30, has been an absolute menace since entering the promotion back in 2016. Over his first seven Octagon appearances “The Great” has produced a perfect 7-0 record with three knockout wins and key victories over the likes of featherweight greats Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. The former professional rugby player will have to elevate his game against a world-class champion like “Blessed,” but Volkanovski has shown improvements to his game each and every time he steps inside of the cage. He’ll certainly be the betting underdog come UFC 245, but the Australian has a good chance of pulling off the upset.
While UFC 245 has yet to name an official headliner the card will also feature a women’s bantamweight title fight between current UFC champion Amanda Nunes and top-flight striker Germaine de Randamie.
