Max Holloway insists he is the 'cloud' over Brian Ortega's title fight with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 260 as former featherweight champion reveals his plan to win back his belt before the year is out
- Max Holloway insists he is biding his time on winning his featherweight title back
- The 29-year-old says he is the 'cloud' that looms over Volkanovski vs Ortega
- Volkanovski beat Holloway for his title and was able to defend it in the rematch
- Now following his emphatic win over Kattar, Holloway is No 1 contender for it
- Holloway also revealed he is hoping to fight twice more by the end of the year
Max Holloway has revealed he will be waiting intently in the wings as Alexander Volkanovski defends his featherweight title against Brian Ortega at UFC 260.
A month on from his spectacular win over Calvin Kattar, Holloway is back in the title picture and is looking to regain the belt he lost to Volkanovski in a narrow defeat last July.
Volkanovski managed to get the better of Holloway again in their rematch but the decision could have gone either way, leaving a trilogy fight in the works.
Max Holloway insists he is biding his time on winning his featherweight title back
UFC supremo Dana White said a third fight between the pair is inevitable after Holloway's stunning striking display against Kattar, but the 29-year-old isn't getting too caught up with who is going to win the fight and is ready to face the best man.
'After the fight that night, he (White) went to the media and he said what he said,' Holloway told MMA Junkie.
'With Alex and Ortega coming up, everybody knows I'm the cloud over that fight. At the end of the day, let them focus on each other, and then, when it's all said and done, the reign is gonna continue, so I can't wait.'
Holloway (left) is back in the title picture after his spectacular win over Calvin Kattar (right)
While Holloway has lost twice to Volkanovski – with the second still up for debate when it comes to scoring in MMA – but he also has history with Ortega, who he dismantled at UFC 231.
However, despite the narrative, Holloway has no preference when it comes to fighting either man should he get the chance.
'No preference at all,' Holloway said. 'May the best man win. I just want the best guys across from me.
Alexander Volkanovski (left) beat Holloway (right) for his title at UFC 251 last July
Volkanovski (left) successfully defended his belt in an evenly-match rematch
'When it's all said and done, when these lights, when these interviews are done, when I'm long gone from fighting, when I'm long gone from this earth, I wanna be in history.
'I wanna be one of those guys that fought the who's who names of MMA and that's what you do. So I ain't picking and choosing, and I ain't got no favourites.'
Holloway has also laid out his plans for 2021 and has revealed that he wants to fight two more times this year – preferably once in July and then again in December.
It comes after he fought just once in 2020 but now he wants a busy schedule until the year is out.
Volkanovski (right) will defend his featherweight title against Brian Ortega (left) next month
'In a perfect world, if I got to make up my plan for this year, is I would like to fight during the summer and then maybe try and get a December fight in,' Holloway added.
'I want to fight three times this year, maybe get in there in the summertime, July hopefully, and then get in on another card with UFC so we'll see what happens.
'That's just what I want to do in a perfect world, fight in July, fight in December.'
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