Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski-Max Holloway 3 to co-headline UFC's International Fight Week

A pair of UFC title fights have been slated to co-headline the promotion's annual International Fight Week on July 2 in Las Vegas.

The UFC announced on Saturday that middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will seek his fifth title defense against Jared Cannonier. Also, a long-anticipated featherweight trilogy between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway will serve as the co-main event. UFC 276 will take place inside T-Mobile Arena.

Adesanya (22-1) is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, and has developed into one of the UFC's biggest stars. He signed a lucrative contract extension with the UFC prior to his last title defense in February. His only loss came when he attempted to move up in weight and capture a second UFC title. He came up short against then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz via unanimous decision in March 2021.

Cannonier (15-5) has earned a shot at the title by winning five of his last six contests, including victories over Anderson Silva, Kelvin Gastelum and Derek Brunson. His only loss during that time came against former champion Robert Whittaker.

Volkanovski and Holloway first met at UFC 245 in December 2019. Volkanovski (24-1) took the belt via unanimous decision in an upset. The fight was so close the UFC booked an immediate rematch in July 2020. Volkanovski narrowly won again by split decision.

Since then, Volkanovski has cemented himself as one of — if not the best — pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He has now defended the title three times, including victories over Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung, just one month ago at UFC 273.

«I wanted a quick turnaround and we got it,» Volkanovski said. «Looking forward to the trilogy with Max.»

Holloway (23-6) has