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Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski recently opened up about the hate he received after the first two fights against Holloway. Volkanovski fought Max Holloway three times and emerged victorious each time.
'The Great' made his UFC debut back in 2016 and has fought 16 times in the octagon since, winning 13 of those fights. He also defended his featherweight crown five times before losing against Ilia Topuria.
Speaking to Demetrious Johnson, Volkanovski opened up about the tough time he faced after his first two fights with Holloway. He said:
"It was obviously a close fight. But then there was a lot of backlash after that. I got a lot of hate because everyone loves Max. So beating him in a controversial decision like everyone was saying, I am a pretty friendly guy, I never want to offend anybody. I am kind of a people pleaser. So to get this hate, I didn't know how to deal with it."
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Alexander Volkanovski believes fight with Diego Lopes is great for him stylistically
In the main event of UFC 314, former champion Alexander Volkanovski will face rising contender Diego Lopes for the featherweight crown. Notably, Ilia Topuria vacated his 145-pound title and moved up to the lightweight division.
Lopes is a promising contender and is on a five-fight win streak with his latest win coming over Brian Ortega. Volkanovski has not fought for over a year after suffering back-to-back knockout losses but believes the Lopes fight favors him stylistically. Speaking to Demetrious Johnson, he said:
"Stylistically, I think it's a great matchup for me. Obviously, he's dangerous. He's definitely going to have a puncher's chance. He's got that submission threat. I've proved many times that I'ma be alright when it comes to grappling. But I'm sure he's thinking differently."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (1:02:00):
