Unbeaten in 14 fights at featherweight, there's not a whole lot UFC champion Max Holloway hasn't seen during his time in the cage.
But in his next opponent, City Kickboxing-trained Alexander Volkanovski, he's ready to tackle an enigma when they meet at UFC 245 in Las Vegas next month withthe featherweight title on the line.
Standing at 180cm, Holloway is one of the larger fighters in the featherweight division and uses his length to great effect. But when it comes to a fight against the 168cm Volkanovski, Holloway admits he probably doesn't have the advantages many might assume.
"He's shorter than me but he's got a longer reach, he has more power than me and we've never really faced a guy like Alex," Holloway told the Herald.
"He's always in your face, the power and the reach, I'm excited. Whenever someone presents a challenge for me, these are the things that get me up in the morning.
"He's got questions; I'm going to show him the answers."
For MMA fan, the match-up is a tantalising one. Holloway boasts a 21-4 professional record and has been in championship fights for each of his last six bouts. Volkanovski has lost just once in his career, which came in his fourth fight while he was fighting two weight classes above featherweight. At 145lbs, the Australian has found his home.
Alexander Volkanovski (right) presents a unique challenge for Max Holloway. Photo / Getty Images
For Holloway, having defended his title a number of times has given him important experience in what is widely regarded as the hardest part of combat sports.
"I sound like a broken record but I tell people all the time (retired UFC star) Georges St-Pierre had multiple belts and he said defending belts is the hardest, and I think he's right.
"If you're defending something it means you have something you've already earned so you can have a hard time with that. But for me and my team we find motivation when someone presents a new question, and Alex – that's what he does."
Volkanovski is currently in Auckland training at City Kickboxing where he's works with some of the best fighters in the world, including a host of fellow UFC stars.
The Auckland stable has burst onto the world stage over the past two years with Kai Kara-France, who is also fighting at UFC 245, now ranked No 6 in the flyweight division, Dan Hooker ranked No 7 in the lightweight division and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
When asked how training with such a high level camp would help Volkanovski's preparation, Holloway said training camp could only do so much.
"It's cool they're on the same team, but at the end of the day he can be from the same team, look like the guy, dance like the guy, even fight like the guy, but when we get in there it's just different.
"He's got a strong team behind him, some great coaches and this is the kind of fight I look forward to. This is how legacies are cemented."
