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Alexander Volkanovski is looking to move up a weightclass for a lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira, should he get past Max Holloway at UFC 276. That's bad news for featherweight contender Josh Emmett, who is on a five fight win streak.
Emmett just gutted out a close split decision win over Calvin Kattar, pushing himself up to the No. 4 position in the UFC featherweight rankings. Along with Yair Rodriguez, he's one of the few contenders that hasn't already been beaten by Volkanovski. Unfortunately, 'The Great' doesn't sound very interested in facing Emmett right now.
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Sportskeeda's James Lynch was on hand at the UFC 276 media day press conference and asked Volkanovski about Emmett. The Australian replied:
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"Look, Josh Emmett, he's incredible, on an incredible win streak and all that and I got nothing but respect for the dude and I know I'll be facing him soon. But again, I want the big fights. Is everyone screaming his name? I don't know. That's not a knock to him. But we'll see. We'll see what happens. I want someone screaming that name. If not, let's look at something else."
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's full press conference interview below or check out more UFC 276 interviews at the Sportskeeda YouTube page.
Alexander Volkanovski has made it no secret that his goal is to jump up to lightweight, grab the 155 pound belt, and become the first Australian champ-champ. That would also make him just the fifth fighter in UFC history to be a simultaneous two-division champion. When it comes to cementing a powerful legacy, there's few routes as effective as a quest for double gold.
Volkanovski will have to get past Max Holloway at UFC 276 first, though. Holloway has been fighting at championship level even without the belt, destroying Calvin Kattar and handling an on-point Yair Rodriguez to earn a third attempt at beating 'The Great.'
Alexander Volkanovski explains why he agreed to a third fight with Max Holloway
It's very rare to see a third fight between fighters when one is 2-0 over the other. However, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway aren't typical fighters, and their fights weren't typical fights.
Volkanovski and Holloway sit up at the top of the UFC pound-for-pound rankings at No. 2 and No. 6 respectively, making them the best of the best. And both their fights were close decisions, especially the second one which went to a split decision.
Speaking at the UFC 276 media day press conference, Alexander Volkanovski explained why he had no problem granting Max Holloway a third fight. He said:
"I'll give him credit, he was stubborn and said 'Ain't no one taking that number one contender's spot from me. That's what he did. He stood there and he took out all the guys and didn't let them have a shot at me, so now he gets a shot. Good on him. That's exactly what I would do in the same situation. So now obviously he's getting credited with a third chance. He's done what he was meant to do, so good on him."
With the last two fights such close wars, Alexander Volkanovski is taking a big chance stepping into the cage against 'Blessed' at UFC 276. There's no doubt it's going to be a wild fight, no matter what the result.
