sport news UFC 276: Max Holloway legacy would be damaged by third Alexander Volkanovski ... trends now
By Sunday morning, Max Holloway might have shared 75 minutes in the octagon with Alexander Volkanovski.
To call them familiar foes is underselling it. So if Holloway, a bona fide UFC legend by the age of 30, comes up short for the third time, there will be no question marks over who is the better fighter.
A hat-trick of defeats against the closest featherweight rival of his era would be a significant blotch on his career copybook.
Max Holloway (left) knows the weight of legacy his trilogy with Alexander Volkanovski has
Volkanovski (R) punches Holloway in their title fight during UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena
Nagging doubts over who is the better man fuel the fire of Saturday night's trilogy in Las Vegas.
The rematch between the pair was hugely controversial as Volkanovski clung onto his crown by a controversial split decision having comfortably won their first battle.
Is 'Blessed' the rightful featherweight king or did those two much-maligned judges get it right in Abu Dhabi?
Both men are at a crossroads now. Volkanovski can well and truly put to rest any argument by rubberstamping his era of dominance.
It would shut up the naysayers if he can see off Holloway once more and earn his 22nd successive win.
He would have an iron grip of the division and even move up to lightweight with a huge amount of momentum.
Holloway has fought his way back into title contention and faces the Australian on Saturday
There's no doubt that Volkanovski lacks the credit he deserves. Perhaps the only way for him to gain real appreciation is by putting the Holloway debate to bed.
That's the gist of Dana White's argument too. He said: 'I think that this is one of those situations where Volkanovski has had a tough road in making people respect him, and say, "Hey, just admit it. I'm the guy. Get over whatever hang-ups you have with me winning or whatever." Because you had some people saying, "Oh, I thought Max won this fight." Volkanovski's been on a tear.
'So, now, I think this is a great opportunity for Max to have another shot and erase any doubts that he ever had or whatever. And for Volkanovski to put the final pin in this thing and say, "Don't ever talk to me about Max Holloway again".'
Volkanovski's TKO win over Korean Zombie was only his fourth knockout in 11 UFC fights and there's a chance his lack of decisive finishes has hurt his reputation.
