"Stop playing games and all the bu****it" - Alexander Volkanovski reacts to Max Holloway not calling him out after win over Yair Rodriguez

Alexander Volkanovski weighed in on Max Holloway's recent fight with Yair Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 42. The reigning UFC featherweight champion commented on the fact that Holloway didn't mention his name in the post-fight interview. 'The Great' said that he wasn't surprised by 'Blessed' not calling him out.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Alexander Volkanovski said:

"No, I'm not surprised, I'm not surprised... I'm the champ! You can say whatever you want, you can push all the bulls**t narrative you want but at the end of the day, you're 0-2 and you're trying to act like, 'oh yeah, we'll see'. Mate, you don't want it? Don't worry about it! I'll get the next guy, there are plenty of people waiting... Stop playing the games and all the bulls**t, let the UFC know...you don't want it, hurry up. We'll see who's next [then]."

Alexander Volkanovski fought Max Holloway twice. The Australian dethroned 'Blessed' in their first fight at UFC 245, and then defeated the Hawaiian again at UFC 251, defending his belt for the first time.

The two fights ended in controversial decisions and sparked an ongoing debate in the MMA community about who won the fights, with the majority of fans scoring both bouts in favour of Max Holloway.

Max Holloway put on a staggering display of toughness and striking en route to his victory over Yair Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Alexander Volkanovski defeated Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in a potential fight-of-the-year contender earlier this year.

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Alexander Volkanovski says he's open to fighting Henry Cejudo; calls Max Holloway the second-best guy in the division

Alexander Volkanovski clarified that he won't be waiting for Max Holloway and a potential trilogy fight. The two featherweights, who've shared 50 minutes inside the octagon, will inevitably meet again to settle the score according to UFC President Dana White.

Speaking at the UFC Vegas 42 post-fight press conference, White gave his take on Holloway's future:

“It’s one of those things. They’re razor-thin [decisions], and he just comes in and puts on a performance like this. This is a guy Volkanovski is going to have to just get him out of the way and do it again.”

Volkanovski, who's gunning for 'big fights', also responded to Henry Cejudo's recent call out.

"I think [Max Holloway] is the second best guy in the division... I want the best guy, Max is proving that he's still the best guy, obviously that last [fight with Max Holloway] was a very close fight. So he's making it out to be like, 'oh yeah I'm the big dog', as if I'm gonna chase the fight. But the way he's going, I'm about to go, 'Henry Cejudo, you want it? C'mon let's do it then'."

Watch the full interview below: