Alex Volkanovski v Max Holloway rematch could happen in Perth in June
Australia’s newest UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski wants to headline a mouth-watering home soil rematch against Max Holloway in June — but there’s a catch.
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Alexander Volkanovski wants to defend his UFC featherweight title in an Australian blockbuster this June – but must first get clearance for a right hand still protected by two screws a splint.
Only seven weeks after undergoing hand surgery, Volkanovski has returned to training in the hope of headlining a hyped rematch against Max Holloway on home soil, with Perth Arena the early favourite to host.
Australia’s newest UFC champion shocked the world back in December when he scored an upset, and lopsided, win over Hawaiian champ Holloway, a fighter many regard as the greatest featherweight of all time.
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Apart from earning a convincing points victory at UFC 245 in Las Vegas, the 31-year-old Shellharbour native also learned afterwards he had fought for up to 10 minutes with a broken right hand.
Since the shock win, UFC president Dana White has publicly stated Volkanovski’s first title defence will be a rematch with Holloway, who dominated the division for almost three years.
Discussions are also understood to have taken place at UFC headquarters in Las Vegas about having that title fight headline an Australian card in June.
Asked about his chances of headlining said home soil blockbuster, Volkanovski told The Saturday Telegraph that timeline would definitely work if has hand continued to heal as expected.
However, the father-of-two revealed it would at least be another fortnight before his specialists could confirm his progress, with further ligament damage also uncovered post surgery.
Quizzed on talk of an Australian card in June, Volkanovski said: “That’s definitely what I’m hearing. And I’m hopeful that timeline is realistic for me.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone from the UFC about it – haven’t heard anything. There have been no discussions.
“But I know they’re wanting to do an event in Australia, likely in Perth. And now being February, we’re still four months away.
“A month from now, I hope to be back punching, wrestling, everything. But who knows?
“With the screws, they’ll stay in and the hand itself feels fine. But it’s hard to say right now I’m fighting in June because I really don’t know.
“It will probably be another fortnight before we know for sure.”
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Apart from breaking his hand, Volkanovski revealed specialists also discovered post-surgery some additional tearing to one of his ligaments.
“But I wasn’t been able to get an MRI because I’ve now got the screws in there,” he said.
“So they don’t know if the ligament was torn or stretched before the fight, if it was torn during the fight, if it’s a little tear, we don’t really know.
“I’ll wait another two weeks, see the specialist and go from there. Right now, I haven’t spoken to anyone from the UFC about a fight.
“Nobody has asked yet when I’ll be ready, nobody has said I’ll be rematching Max Holloway for the title, nothing.”
Volkanovski added, however, that if everything went as planned over the next fortnight, a June showdown with “whoever the UFC wants me to fight” would be the goal.
“And I think Holloway, that’s what Dana wants,” he said. “I know there are some mixed opinions on that and, personally, I think I clearly won the fight.
“But you know me, I’ll fight whoever the UFC thinks deserves it.”