Bold takeaway: Max Holloway is on the brink of another title shot, and a win over Charles Oliveira could seal the deal—and not everyone agrees on the timing or reasoning behind it.
Alexander Volkanovski believes Holloway is close to earning a lightweight title opportunity, provided he defeats Oliveira. Holloway will defend the BMF belt against Oliveira at UFC 326 in Las Vegas on March 7. Volkanovski argues that Oliveira must finish Holloway early, or Holloway will likely be stopped later, though Volkanovski leans toward a Holloway finish himself.
“I expect a finish for Max,” Volkanovski stated on YouTube. “If Charles lands a finish early, fine, but if not, I see Max finishing him in the later rounds.”
Volkanovski also contends that Holloway deserves the title shot after recently defeating interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and former top contender Dustin Poirier, while Holloway’s only recent loss at featherweight has been to Volkanovski. He stresses that Holloway’s resume warrants a title bid regardless of past weight-class history.
An Impressive Run
Holloway (27-8) has gone 4-1 since his last featherweight title bid against Volkanovski in 2022. He followed a loss to Topuria with wins over Gaethje and Poirier in his three most recent fights. Oliveira (36-11) has exhibited a back-and-forth pattern of wins and losses over his last six bouts, highlighted by a submission victory over Mateusz Gamrot that snapped a knockout skid to Topuria.
In short, Holloway is positioned as the potential next challenger if he can top Oliveira, but the path is steep, and opinions differ on whether this performance will translate into a title opportunity."
