After Max Holloway’s dominant unanimous decision win over Frankie Edgar at UFC 240 in July, the question was simple — who can beat “Blessed” at featherweight?
Holloway is unbeaten in his last 14 outings at featherweight and has defended his title three times since finishing Jose Aldo back in 2017. He is now set for a fourth title defense against Alexander Volkanovski who will look to dethrone the Hawaiian when they meet at UFC 245 on December 14.
Volkanovski is extremely confident of getting the win and believes he’s a bad matchup for Holloway. However, featherweight contender Shane Burgos sees it going the way of the champion once again.
“That’s a great fight, that’s a fun fight,” Burgos told The Body Lock’s John Hyon Ko. “I’m going to have to go with Max. He’s huge, he really is big and Volkanovski is not the biggest 145er. I know he walks around heavy but height-wise, I think Max is going to be able to keep him away, keep his distance.
“Volkanovski is obviously going to try and close the distance. Like he [Holloway] did with Aldo, keep him against the fence. Make it more of a lulling fight, tire his arms out and get the finish towards the end. I’m going to have to go with Max. Volkanovski is super tough so I’m going to go Max by decision.”
Burgos, meanwhile faces Makwan Amirkhani at UFC 244 which takes place November 2 in Madison Square Garden, New York.
“Hurricane” is currently ranked #12 after five wins in six outings for the promotion, with his last one coming in a decision win over Cub Swanson. A win over Amirkhani could see him move up further and potentially face a top 10 opponent next.
Burgos eventually hopes to challenge Holloway and will naturally feel he can come out on top. But who else in the division does he think stands a chance?
The winner of the upcoming UFC Moscow main event between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Calvin Kattar is one of them, but Burgos also feels “The Korean Zombie” is capable of giving Holloway problems.
“I like the Kattar vs. Magomedsharipov fight,” he added. “The winner of that fighting him maybe? … I’d like to see Zombie fight him. Zombie’s awkward, he’s a weird kind of fighter. He does crazy stuff.
“It takes a heart, man. Max is really freaking good. He’s got cardio for days, great length, great combinations. I’d like to see Zombie fight him and I’d like to see the winner of Kattar vs. Zabit fight him too.”
You can watch the full interview below:
