Alexander Volkanovski believes Max Holloway still “beats most of the top guys” at featherweight: “I just went to another level”

Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t think Max Holloway has lost a step or gone downhill.

Holloway was the UFC’s featherweight champ from June 2017 to December 2019 before losing the belt to Alexander Volkanovski by decision. The pair would have an immediate rematch, but once again  ‘Blessed’ wound up on the wrong end of the judges’ scorecards. After defeating Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez, Holloway got another crack at the Aussie but once again came up short in the trilogy.

Since losing to the champ three times, many have wondered if Holloway is as dominant as he once was. According to Volkanovski, he says Holloway would still beat most of the top guys but he is just on a different level.

“I still think he was a great champ. I still think he’s a great fighter, and I still think he beats most of the top guys, anyway,” Volkanovski said in an interview with The AllStar (h/t MMAJunkie). “We’ve got a very strong division, a lot of guys that are coming up. And obviously, through watching me fight and watching some of the top guys fight, everyone’s going to start evolving more and more and more.

“So I feel like you’re going to start seeing these other guys that are rising up, really start to get up there, anyway,” Volkanovski continued. “But I still think Max – it wasn’t Max went down, it was just I literally had him figured out and I just went to another level – especially my confidence and things like that. I think that’s what it was more about. I think he makes a very hard fight for anyone in our division.”

Max Holloway has not fought since he lost a decision to Alexander Volkanovski 276 in July. But, as we saw in the two fights after Holloway lost to Volkanovski for the second time, he beat two top contenders to prove he still is among the best at 145lbs as the champ says.

Do you agree with Alexander Volkanovski that Max Holloway still beats most of the top guys at featherweight?