Max Holloway is out to 'bring balance back to the world' by exacting revenge over Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 276 trilogy as Hawaiian relishes 'legacy and history' of huge fight

Max Holloway will have a third crack at Alexander Volkanovski this SaturdayAustralian beat 'Blessed' in their first two encounters for featherweight title  Holloway says 'a lot of history and a lot of legacy is on the line' this weekend  

Max Holloway is relishing the history and legacy on the line in his trilogy bout against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 276.

The Hawaii native came up short on the scorecards in both of his previous encounters against the featherweight champion.

And now a third clash is just days away, in what should be another epic between two of the sport’s very best.

Max Holloway (left) knows the weight of legacy his trilogy with Alexander Volkanovski has

Holloway is pleased he can serve up exactly what the fans want to see, particularly with rivalries as close and hard-fought as this so hard to come by.

He told The MMA Hour: ‘If you look at it this way, it’s crazy. When in the last decade did this fight happen, where two top guys in the top 10 pound-for-pound rankings happen.

‘How many times did it happen? The only guys that come to mind is ‘DC’ [Daniel Cormier] and [Jon] Jones. That’s the only guys. And we’re here now, and this fight, these things don’t happen.

‘And these are the things that excite me. We get to be a part of that history. And to you guys, to all the hardcore fans, this is what they want.

Holloway has fought his way back into title contention and faces the Australian on Saturday

‘They want the best of the best fighting each other — and they are. These top pound-for-pound fighters don’t fighters don’t fight each other. They just don’t.

‘It doesn’t happen. It happens every so often in a decade, and we’re getting blessed with one right now.’

Volkanovski was the comfortable winner when he took on Holloway in 2019 for the first time but the rematch the following year was far closer.

The Australian took a controversial split decision win that divided opinion among fans.

Volkanovski won both of his previous fights against Holloway on the scorecards

Since then, the champion has looked increasingly dominant and dispatched Korean Zombie with ease in April. Holloway saw off Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez for another shot at the crown but already considers himself the very best.

He added: ‘I’m a champion. I’ve been telling everybody that. I’m going to be a champion and I was a champion from since when I freakin’ got into the UFC.

‘That’s just the way that you’ve got to carry yourself. If you don’t carry yourself that way, then why are you fighting? Are you fighting to be the second best in the world? That makes no sense.

‘I can’t wait. First things first, it’s Alex, July 2. Let’s bring back balance to the world.’