Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway has been removed from his scheduled trilogy fight against the UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. The fight was set for UFC 272. UFC president Dana White had announced the news to broadcast partner ESPN this Wednesday. UFC 272 takes place March 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+. Now the promotion is keen to keep this title fight on this card but now Max will be replaced by some other fighter who is not finalized yet. The co-main event is a bantamweight title fight rematch between champ Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan.
Max Holloway now has pulled out of the fight. UFC broadcast partner ESPN was the first to report this news. UFC is yet to make an official announcement regarding the pullout of Max. The duo was set to compete in a trilogy contest for the featherweight championship. The pair first fought at UFC 245. In his fourth title defense, Max Holloway fought Alexander Volkanovski on December 14, 2019, at UFC 245. Max lost a competitive fight via unanimous decision. The rematch for the UFC Featherweight Championship between these took place on July 12 at UFC 251. Alexander won the fight via split decision. This decision was controversial amongst media outlets, with 18 out of 27 media scores giving it to Holloway. Now the pair will have to wait back to settle their rivalry and fight for the third time.
Alexander Volkanovski will be going into UFC 272 with an impressive win over top contender Brian Ortega. Max on the other hand was coming off two amazing hard-fought wins over Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar. Max Holloway had amazing performances in both of those wins. There is no official time frame for Holloway’s return.
Who will replace Max Holloway?
UFC is looking for a quick replacement for Max and many fighters are showing interest in this fight. Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo is one of the interesting candidates in this race.
Triple C to the rescue. @danawhite you have my number. 🏆🏆🏆🏆 #C4 #bendtheknee https://t.co/Jkppjffm12 pic.twitter.com/CWkSzyNezf
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) January 7, 2022
The top-ranked featherweight prospect Josh Emmet who recently made his comeback to the octagon is also on the list. Korean Zombie is considered the front runner for this fight. Another top-ranked prospect Yair Rodriguez is also in the race as he put his name forward and called out the champion.
UFC 272 card:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. TBD – Featherweight title
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – Bantamweight title
- Edson Barboza vs. Bryce Mitchell
- Jessica Eye vs. Manon Fiorot
- Mariya Agapova vs. Maryna Moroz
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Yan Xiaonan
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3 fight off the card, Max Holloway pulls out
- UFC looking for a replacement
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