It is a reverse of the usual rematch dynamics, but Alexander Volkanovski feels he is the one to prove himself by defeating Max Holloway once more.
The Australian did it in December, securing a unanimous-decision victory in Las Vegas to claim the UFC featherweight title – his first championship gold in the world's leading mixed martial arts promotion.
Yet it was Volkanovski who went looking for a reprisal, which plays out Sunday in Abu Dhabi with UFC 251, the opening event of the inaugural four-show series packaged as Fight Island.
The co-main event on a card boasting three title matches is running it back, as Volkanovski seeks simply to plough forward.
He may be the one holding an 18-fight win streak (8-0 UFC), but for many Holloway remains the greatest featherweight in the sport’s history.
So Volkanovski has a chance to dispatch the “GOAT” for a second time, so soon after the first. That is why he craved another shot. Even in the Covid-19 era, legacies are built on bouts like these.
“It’s huge. That’s why it’s a fight I wanted again,” he says from the W Abu Dhabi hotel, his base since getting the clearance to fly to the capital only 40 minutes before his scheduled departure from Australia on Friday.
“The team were a bit unsure – do we even need to take this fight? – but I eventually said this is a fight I want. Purely for that reason: for my profile, for my legacy, for the division. There’s no clear No 1 contenders, and to take out Max back-to-back in his prime, that really sets you up for big things. And that’s what I plan on doing.
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UFC teams arrive in Abu Dhabi
Stevie Ray and the UFC team arrive in Abu Dhabi from London. Etihad Airways
UFC fighters Jose Aldo, Jéssica Andrade and Amanda Ribas arrive in Abu Dhabi from Sao Paolo. Etihad Airways
UFC team arrive in Abu Dhabi from London Heathrow. Etihad Airways
Etihad pilots showcase the UFC championship belt. Etihad Airways
Paige VanZant, accompanied by Etihad staff, arrives in Abu Dhabi from Las Vegas. Etihad Airways
Rose Namajunas and Paige VanZant arrive in Abu Dhabi from Las Vegas. Etihad Airways
Max Holloway arrives in Abu Dhabi from Las Vegas. Etihad Airways
Paige VanZant and Austin Vanderford arrive in Abu Dhabi from Las Vegas. Etihad Airways
Jéssica Andrade and Amanda Ribas pose in front of the UAE flag with Etihad staff. Etihad Airways
Etihad's Wellness Ambassador and Cabin Crew showcase the UFC Championship belt. Etihad Airways
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“Maybe I don't get the respect I deserve, the credit I deserve. After doing this and doing what I plan on doing on Sunday, I definitely will. And people are going to know: I've proved myself again as the best featherweight in the world. There's going to be no doubt in anyone's mind.”
For most, Volkanovski dominated for longer seven months ago, superior through an absorbing encounter, before his rival rallied late.
Volkanovski utilised vicious leg kicks and even broke his hand. Holloway never went away. In Holloway’s head, he still should be champion.
“I just think he’s been a bit salty,” Volkanovski says. “I was quite surprised. Straight after my fight I was saying he was a great champion, and he was being who he was, being himself through the process. And I respect that. I’m all about that. That’s how I believe I am.
“But to see him still acting like he won that fight, acting like the leg kicks were working, saying that the biased commentary was for me, and all these things that I couldn’t believe. It was the complete opposite.
“And then he’s saying he hasn’t been training? I just don’t know where he’s going with everything. Like I said, I think he’s got a sour taste in his mouth, losing and making excuses.
“Maybe quarantine is getting to him. I don’t know what it is. Or maybe he’s struggling with the loss a bit more than I expected him to. But if he doesn’t have his head screwed on, he’s in for a big night come Sunday.”
Volkanovski is right to expect another colossal clash. He predicts Holloway will come at him from the opening buzzer, therefore taking more risks and thus leaving himself open.
Famously, Holloway has never been knocked out in 26 pro fights. Volkanovski is determined to change that.
“I’m prepared for a fully prepared Max Holloway,” he says. “He’s going to be game, he’s going to come forward, and that’s going to make for an exciting fight. And I can’t wait to put him away. He is durable, I know that. And if he’s as durable as they say, the ref is going to have no choice but to stop it, or I get the submission.
“Again, I’ve got respect for my opponents, I’ve got respect for Max as a fighter – he’s a great fighter. But I’m going to show him I’m on another level and I’ve got his number.”
“If he’s doing it to hype the fight maybe that’s a good thing,” he says. “It makes me want to prove myself even more, makes me want to go out there and just let him know. If he really does believe he won that last fight, that just makes me want to leave no doubt in his mind whatsoever.
“That’s why I want to finish this fight. Winning a decision and just outsmarting, outfighting him, being the better fighter, isn’t enough for me right now. I want him to go out there and know ‘this bloke literally just put me right out of it, just blew me out of the water’. That’s what I want to go out there and do.”
Seal win No 2, and the praise and the plaudits should follow, however belatedly Volkanovski believes them to be. The champion wants to erase all doubt, declare Holloway’s reign has ended, and the Volkanovski Era unquestionably ushered in.
“I said that even before the first fight: unfortunate for the Max, the ‘Blessed Era’ ends December 15,” he says. “And I was right. This is my time. And whether people don't want to believe it, they're going to believe it Sunday."
“Fight Island, this is a huge opportunity, man,” Volkanovski says, eyes wide. “Look what's happening: the whole process, the protocols. There's a reason why not many sports are doing this. And to make this actually happen is pretty incredible.
“The world will be watching; three title fights, absolutely stacked card. You know what I mean? I just can't wait to go out there and perform, put on a show and show the world that I'm still the best featherweight in the world.”
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany - At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people - Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed - Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest - He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally • Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered • Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity • Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
