LAS VEGAS — Alexander Volkanovski didn’t get into MMA as some kind of blue-chip, closely hyped prospect. After a profession as a 214-pound rugby participant, Volkanovski turned to combined martial arts with zero fanfare, worldwide or in Australia, the place he’s from.

He misplaced his fourth professional struggle to Corey Nelson, now a crane operator in Sydney, in a welterweight bout.

Just a little greater than 9 years since that evening, Volkanovski is nearly on prime of the MMA world. He turned in one other good efficiency Saturday within the co-main occasion of UFC 276, basically no-hitting the nice Max Holloway.

The rivals met for the third time for the featherweight title Saturday after Volkanovski scored shut determination victories at UFC 245 in 2019 and UFC 251 in 2020.

This time, it was no contest virtually from the beginning. Volkanovski, at 5 inches shorter and with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, was outboxing Holloway. He stated he thinks he broke his left hand within the second, however nobody who didn’t hear the discuss within the nook would have ever recognized it.

Holloway has dominated the featherweight division apart from Volkanovski. In his final 16 featherweight fights aside from these towards Volkanovski, Holloway was 16-Zero with 10 finishes. He’s clearly lapped the sector within the division. However towards Volkanovski on Saturday, he regarded like little greater than a WWE jobber and was overwhelmed in one-sided and decisive style.

Secretariat received the Triple Crown in 1973 by successful the Belmont Stakes by an astounding 31 lengths. In preventing phrases, Volkanovski is no less than that far forward of the featherweight subject.

“He answered all of the questions from the entire doubters tonight,” UFC president Dana White informed Yahoo Sports activities. “He took that struggle and he regarded unbelievable. It’s time for him to maneuver on and do no matter he needs to do subsequent. Does he wish to preserve defending that title? Does he wish to transfer up? No matter he needs to do, the world is open to him. Very spectacular what he did tonight.”

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It was spectacular to say the least.

Volkanovski opened a cavernous minimize over Holloway’s left eye and blood was oozing from his eye, his nostril and his mouth within the latter a part of the struggle. One of many best and classiest fighters within the sport, Holloway landed little of consequence and couldn’t give you an assault that was even reasonably profitable.

Volkanovski is the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter on the UFC’s pound-for-pound checklist, however after that efficiency, it’s cheap to ask if he’s surpassed welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who sits at No. 1.

Usman has been equally dominant and has reeled off 19 consecutive wins.

However Volkanovski received for the 21st consecutive time on Saturday and received his 12th in a row within the UFC. No one has been near him aside from Holloway and it wasn’t a contest Saturday.

In his final six fights, he’s earned three victories over Holloway and one over Jose Aldo, the 2 males aside from himself who have been thought-about within the working for the best featherweight in UFC historical past.

There isn’t any doubt about that now. Volkanovski is the person with out query and is shifting himself into the dialog as one of many best fighters ever. That’s a spot occupied by the likes of Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre, however it’s arduous to disclaim Volkanovski’s entrance into that dialogue.

“To have three title struggle wins over somebody like Max relatively than another man, in fact [that means more to me],” Volkanovski stated. “He was the No. 1 contender the entire time. He was thought-about the best featherweight of all time. That’s unbelievable for me. … They’re rather a lot larger wins than your common protection.”

He’s largely been unchallenged in his total UFC profession. The second struggle with Holloway was shut, however Volkanovski had some points. USADA drug testers woke up him 4 hours earlier than he was scheduled to get up. It threw him off and he was sluggish and never almost at his greatest within the struggle. He took melatonin tablets to attempt to get again to sleep however the web outcome was that it made him really feel gradual and out of kinds within the cage.

He received the struggle, largely by utilizing his wits, and instantly began to name for one more struggle with Holloway. He had one thing to show and on Saturday, show it he did.

“I used to be calling for the [third fight] as a result of I wished to indicate myself,” Volkanovski stated. “I do know I didn’t flip up [for the second Holloway fight].”

He floor his method to the highest. He believed in himself totally and by no means doubted, even when critics would. He kindly chastised two reporters on the post-fight information convention who he believed had doubted him up to now.

He made himself right into a fighter and has simply stored enhancing day after day. He fights usually — Saturday was his third struggle in 9 months — and few, if any are higher on a constant foundation.

It was sufficient to amaze his new teammate, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who blew out Jared Cannonier in the primary occasion in what he known as the worst efficiency of his profession.

“F***ing inspiring,” Adesanya stated of Volkanovski’s win. “I had a 5-nil shutout, too, however his was means cooler and extra spectacular. … When he got here to CKB for this camp, he raised the bar for this camp.”

He’s actually raised the bar for different 145-pound fighters, that’s for certain.