For many, Alexander Volkanovski’s victory over Max Holloway at UFC 245 was a surprising upset. The Aussie challenger had run up a seven fight unbeaten streak in the UFC to get there, culminating in a decision win over Jose Aldo at UFC 237. But even still, heading into the fight, it didn’t feel like he necessarily possessed the kind of striking arsenal needed to pick Holloway apart the way he ended up doing.
Perhaps then, it was the knowledge of that general surprise; the feeling that he, himself, had not quite yet imprinted himself on the minds of fans as a dominant championship fighter, which caused Volkanovski to ask the UFC to book a rematch with Holloway for his first title defense.