UFC: Max Holloway insists ‘80-90 per cent of the world’ thought he beat Alex Volkanovski
- ‘Not just the fans ... my competitors, Dustin [Poirier], Justin [Gaethje], Nate [Diaz], Jorge [Masvidal],’ says former featherweight champ
- ‘I’m not too mad about it. I’ve got love, it’s onto the next,’ adds Holloway, who returns in UFC Fight Island 7 main event vs Calvin Kattar
Max Holloway’s split decision loss to Alex Volkanovski at UFC 251 remains one of the most hotly debated results in recent memory.
Despite the fan favourite preparing for a UFC Fight Island 7 main event clash with No 6-ranked featherweight Calvin Kattar (22-4) on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, pundits and fans alike continue to hark back to what many feel was a harsh outcome for the former champ last July.
Having lost his featherweight title to “The Great” Volkanovski (22-1) of Australia seven months earlier, “Blessed” Holloway (21-6) made a valiant attempt to get the strap back at Fight Island but ultimately came up short in the eyes of the judges.
“I can’t be too mad,” he said. “Eighty to 90 per cent of the world thought I won.
“And not just the fans. Big-time coaches like Georges St-Pierre’s coach Firas [Zahabi]. Big John McCarthy – the guy who made the rule book. And then my competitors, Dustin [Poirier], Justin [Gaethje], Nate [Diaz], Jorge [Masvidal].
“All these guys had a say. And that’s why I’m not too mad about it. I’ve got support, I’ve got love, it’s onto the next.”