Point of interest: Potential grappling warfare
When looking at potential adjustments for each party, I wouldn’t put it past Volkanovski to keep a grappling game plan in his back pocket.
When not sprinkling in the occasional spinning elbow to his dirty boxing repertoire, Volkanovski has traditionally been a willing takedown hunter who will relentlessly chain from single to double-legs in close, looking to suck his opposition’s hips from the fence.
However, as we saw in his last two affairs, the current champ seems to favor control and security in these spots, which makes me wonder if he’ll turn things up to make his case more emphatic to both judges and critics alike. But as we know, trying to take down Holloway has been a very hard ask in recent years.
The Hawaiian’s superb striking may hallmark a large part of his brand, but Holloway has quietly made consistent improvements to his counter-grappling (only being taken down five times in the past five years). Even when having his takedown defense tested by an NCAA All-American wrestler in Ricardo Lamas, Holloway successfully thwarted his offensive shots, smoothly re-wrestling his way to ride positions of his own.
Not only does Holloway display the balance and defense to stuff takedowns, but he also shows excellent awareness of how to conduct his hips and grips in close. Deceptively hand-fighting to counter clinches and grappling efforts, Holloway demonstrates a knack for striking off the breaks, something that could be worth watching in this fight.
More importantly, whether Holloway is conducting himself from the clinch or inside the chaos of transition, he has always prioritized protecting his neck and head by either maintaining an upright posture in close or keeping his hands in the proper neighborhood to defend grasps. This note, in particular, is useful when considering his current champion’s acumen from the front headlock position.
Nevertheless, if Volkanovski is able to meaningfully take Holloway down, then the champion will be forced to deal with the challenger’s honey badger-like behavior.
Staking his claim to positions like he is fighting for his last meal, Volkanovski will immediately break down any posts his opponent looks to use in a standing effort, unabashedly swarming them with strikes while floating from wrestling rides. Volkanovski, who holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is also quietly competent in submissions and has no issue snatching up a limb should Holloway leave anything behind.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction
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