Alexander Volkanovski has broken down the upcoming McGregor vs. Holloway fight from a tactical perspective. He believes Holloway will be cautious early and show Conor McGregor enough respect to avoid walking into his heavy shots, predicting the bout will not be the one-sided affair many expect from the opening bell.
Alexander Volkanovski has weighed in on the upcoming fight between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, offering a tactical breakdown that pushes back against expectations of an early, lopsided contest.
Volkanovski, 37, holds a 28-4-0 record and is the reigning featherweight champion, currently ranked third pound-for-pound. The Australian, who fights out of Freestyle Fighting Gym, is one of the more analytically minded fighters on the roster — posting a striking accuracy of 57 percent alongside 5.99 significant strikes landed per minute and a takedown rate of 1.63 per fifteen minutes.
His subject, Max Holloway, enters the fight at 27-9-0 and is ranked fourth at lightweight and ninth pound-for-pound. The 34-year-old Hawaiian is one of the sport's most prolific volume strikers, landing 7.2 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy. Holloway fights out of Gracie Technics and stands five-foot-eleven with a 69-inch reach.
McGregor, meanwhile, carries a 22-6-0 record at 37 years old. The southpaw Irishman out of SBG Ireland has a 74-inch reach — the longest of the three men discussed — and lands 5.32 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy, with his left hand historically representing a significant finishing threat.
Why it matters
- Volkanovski argues Holloway will be deliberately measured early, refusing to walk recklessly into McGregor's power shots
- McGregor's 74-inch reach and southpaw stance make his left hand a genuine tactical consideration for any opponent
- Holloway's elite volume and output at lightweight adds a new dimension to how the fight's early rounds may unfold
- The assessment suggests the opening exchanges will be more competitive than some analysts anticipate
Volkanovski stopped short of predicting an outcome, but his read frames the early rounds as a chess match rather than the explosive, one-sided start that some observers have projected heading into the bout.
