It is a reverse of the usual rematch dynamics, but Alexander Volkanovski feels he is the one to prove himself by defeating Max Holloway once more.
The Australian did it in December, securing a unanimous-decision victory in Las Vegas to claim the UFC featherweight title – his first championship gold in the world's leading mixed martial arts promotion.
Yet it was Volkanovski who went looking for a reprisal, which plays out Sunday in Abu Dhabi with UFC 251, the opening event of the inaugural four-show series packaged as Fight Island.
The co-main event on a card boasting three title matches is running it back, as Volkanovski seeks simply to plough forward.
He may be the one holding an 18-fight win streak (8-0 UFC), but for many Holloway remains the greatest featherweight in the sport’s history.
So Volkanovski has a chance to dispatch the “GOAT” for a second time, so soon after the first. That is why he craved another shot. Even in the Covid-19 era, legacies are built on bouts like these.
“It’s huge. That’s why it’s a fight I wanted again,” he says from the W Abu Dhabi hotel, his base since getting the clearance to fly to the capital only 40 minutes before his scheduled departure from Australia on Friday.
“The team were a bit unsure – do we even need to take this fight? – but I eventually said this is a fight I want. Purely for that reason: for my profile, for my legacy, for the division. There’s no clear No 1 contenders, and to take out Max back-to-back in his prime, that really sets you up for big things. And that’s what I plan on doing.
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UFC teams arrive in Abu Dhabi
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“Maybe I don't get the respect I deserve, the credit I deserve. After doing this and doing what I plan on doing on Sunday, I definitely will. And people are going to know: I've proved myself again as the best featherweight in the world. There's going to be no doubt in anyone's mind.”
For most, Volkanovski dominated for longer seven months ago, superior through an absorbing encounter, before his rival rallied late.
Volkanovski utilised vicious leg kicks and even broke his hand. Holloway never went away. In Holloway’s head, he still should be champion.
“I just think he’s been a bit salty,” Volkanovski says. “I was quite surprised. Straight after my fight I was saying he was a great champion, and he was being who he was, being himself through the process. And I respect that. I’m all about that. That’s how I believe I am.
“But to see him still acting like he won that fight, acting like the leg kicks were working, saying that the biased commentary was for me, and all these things that I couldn’t believe. It was the complete opposite.
“And then he’s saying he hasn’t been training? I just don’t know where he’s going with everything. Like I said, I think he’s got a sour taste in his mouth, losing and making excuses.
“Maybe quarantine is getting to him. I don’t know what it is. Or maybe he’s struggling with the loss a bit more than I expected him to. But if he doesn’t have his head screwed on, he’s in for a big night come Sunday.”
Volkanovski is right to expect another colossal clash. He predicts Holloway will come at him from the opening buzzer, therefore taking more risks and thus leaving himself open.
Famously, Holloway has never been knocked out in 26 pro fights. Volkanovski is determined to change that.
“I’m prepared for a fully prepared Max Holloway,” he says. “He’s going to be game, he’s going to come forward, and that’s going to make for an exciting fight. And I can’t wait to put him away. He is durable, I know that. And if he’s as durable as they say, the ref is going to have no choice but to stop it, or I get the submission.
“Again, I’ve got respect for my opponents, I’ve got respect for Max as a fighter – he’s a great fighter. But I’m going to show him I’m on another level and I’ve got his number.”
Due regard aside, Holloway's comments in the lead-up have only served as fuel to Volkanovski's obvious fire.
“If he’s doing it to hype the fight maybe that’s a good thing,” he says. “It makes me want to prove myself even more, makes me want to go out there and just let him know. If he really does believe he won that last fight, that just makes me want to leave no doubt in his mind whatsoever.
“That’s why I want to finish this fight. Winning a decision and just outsmarting, outfighting him, being the better fighter, isn’t enough for me right now. I want him to go out there and know ‘this bloke literally just put me right out of it, just blew me out of the water’. That’s what I want to go out there and do.”
Seal win No 2, and the praise and the plaudits should follow, however belatedly Volkanovski believes them to be. The champion wants to erase all doubt, declare Holloway’s reign has ended, and the Volkanovski Era unquestionably ushered in.
“I said that even before the first fight: unfortunate for the Max, the ‘Blessed Era’ ends December 15,” he says. “And I was right. This is my time. And whether people don't want to believe it, they're going to believe it Sunday."
Volkanovski has history in his sights at the historic Fight Island, the much-hyped UFC festival created in response to the coronavirus crisis.
“Fight Island, this is a huge opportunity, man,” Volkanovski says, eyes wide. “Look what's happening: the whole process, the protocols. There's a reason why not many sports are doing this. And to make this actually happen is pretty incredible.
“The world will be watching; three title fights, absolutely stacked card. You know what I mean? I just can't wait to go out there and perform, put on a show and show the world that I'm still the best featherweight in the world.”
MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
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Rating: 3/5
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
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Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
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Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
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1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
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4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
