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Volkanovski dubs UFC challenger 'salty'

3 minute read

Australia's UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovksi has thrown some verbal shots at challenger Max Holloway in the lead-up to their rematch on Sunday.

A record-setting Alex Volkanovski is refusing to believe challenger Max Holloway hasn't sparred in their lead up to the UFC featherweight title rematch, branding him "salty" at having lost their first fight.

They will fight at Abu Dhabi's Yas Island on Sunday, seven months after Volkanovski stunned the world by dethroning long time featherweight supremo Holloway in Las Vegas.

Going to bed at 7pm local time and rising around 3.30am, Volkanovski is relaxed about fighting around 8am and continues to insist he will win inside the distance.

"... feel really good, I feel more explosive than ever like I'm hitting harder than ever," Volkanovski said.

"I'm breaking records in the gym."

Volkanovski is unimpressed that Holloway insists he won their first fight.

"I think he's just quite salty about the whole thing to be honest which is quite surprising," Volkanovski said.

"I didn't think he would be a bit of a sore loser but that's sort of my take on it."

Holloway said while Volkanovski landed 80 leg kicks, he connected with more strikes to the head and body and felt he did enough to win.

"The word of a wise man said don't leave that s*** to the judges, it will only make you cry," Holloway said.

"I'm not complaining, I'm not saying nothing I never knew that it was a crime or you being salty when you thought you won a fight.

"I guess he's got something to prove again. The man got a chip on his shoulder."

Restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic forced Volkanovski to seek an exemption to do combat training in the lead up to the fight and he has dismissed Hawaiian Holloway's declaration he only trained via Zoom sessions and didn't do any sparring.

"You can't go into a camp without contact training and if he did he's in big trouble," Volkanovski said.

"I guarantee you, he's been (contact) training, he's fully prepared."

Holloway insisted he hadn't been allowed to do any any contact work because of restrictions back home.

"He (Volkanovski) can think what he wanted to think, the lockdown was pretty serious they were arresting people," Holloway said.

"They know where my gym is they know where my car is.

"I could have made headlines going to jail so I was being smart.

"It's cool not being able to spar. I actually feel healthy I feel recharged."

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