Muscle Insider
New member
UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev appeared to dismiss Alexander Volkanovski‘s finishing threat on the feet during a face-to-face interview.
At the UFC’s second pay-per-view event of the year, set for Perth, Australia, this Saturday, Volkanovski will make the walk in front of his home fans for the first time since 2018. Rather than a defense of his featherweight title, though, he’ll be pursuing a fresh piece of gold for his collection.
In the UFC 284 main event, “Alexander the Great” will share the Octagon with Makhachev, the lightweight king whose reign began last October with a decimation of former champion Charles Oliveira.
While it will be the Russian’s belt on the line, Volkanovski will also be bringing stakes to the table in the form of his top spot on the pound-for-pound ladder, which sees him sat one place above his upcoming opponent.
Despite his undefeated UFC record, Volkanovski will enter his champ-champ challenge as a sizable underdog. That’s no doubt down to Makhachev’s elite Dagestani wrestling game, which has been an unsolvable puzzle in the Octagon to date.
But while that would appear to be the logical path to victory for the lightweight titleholder, he’s seemingly not afraid of throwing down with his Australian counterpart.
Makhachev Downplays Volkanovski’s Striking Acumen
During a face-to-face interview with Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA’s DC & RC show, Makhachev and Volkanovski reiterated their respective plans come fight night.
Rather than his usual wrestling-heavy approach, the Russian 31-year-old outlined his desire to knock Volkanovski out, a fate not suffered by the featherweight king since his fourth professional fight in 2013.
In response to Makhachev’s claim, Volkanovski unsurprisingly welcomed a possible standup battle inside the RAC Arena. And even though he doesn’t expect the 155-pound champ to follow through with those remarks, he hopes to force exchanges on the feet by withstanding takedown attempts.
“I like it. Hey, if you wanna stand up and try to fight — but we all know that ain’t gonna happen. We all know you wanna try and grab, but that’s all good,” Volkanovski said “We all know he’s gonna wanna shoot… But, he might be comfortable because he thinks I’m gonna be easier to take down… So I think he might be more comfortable at the start, but what about if he can’t hold me down? … That’s when you’re gonna really see him start to panic.
“You’re gonna have to stand with me! What I love about it is, I’m hearing a lot of people saying your stand up is underrated and all that type of stuff. We’ll find out,” Volkanovski added.
But while Volkanovski left no doubt about who he thinks will dominate in that realm, Makhachev fought back against the narrative that he can’t stand with his challenger and suggested that the Aussie is severely overestimating his abilities.
“We can stand no problem! Hey, you talk like you knock out all your opponents,” Makhachev responded. “You think you’re Muhammad Ali.”
Volkanovski’s striking game was firmly on display in 2022. After putting a beating on “The Korean Zombie” en route to a fourth-round stoppage, “Alexander the Great” dominated featherweight great Max Holloway across five rounds at UFC 276.
With that, Volkanovski is extremely confident in his standup skillset, and plans on channeling his inner Ali come fight night in Perth.
“I think I’m Muhammad Ali? … Hey, I know where I’m at. I’m confident in my ability and that’s that. I know I can strike and put a puzzle (in front of him)… I’ve got that fight IQ,” Volkanovski said before dismissing the suggestion his striking game will be affected at the higher weight. “I wanna be sharp, I wanna be fast, I want that movement. Like you said, Muhammad Ali. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
How do you think Islam Makhachev will fare on the feet against Alexander Volkanovski?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev appeared to dismiss Alexander Volkanovski‘s finishing threat on the feet during a face-to-face interview.
At the UFC’s second pay-per-view event of the year, set for Perth, Australia, this Saturday, Volkanovski will make the walk in front of his home fans for the first time since 2018. Rather than a defense of his featherweight title, though, he’ll be pursuing a fresh piece of gold for his collection.
In the UFC 284 main event, “Alexander the Great” will share the Octagon with Makhachev, the lightweight king whose reign began last October with a decimation of former champion Charles Oliveira.
While it will be the Russian’s belt on the line, Volkanovski will also be bringing stakes to the table in the form of his top spot on the pound-for-pound ladder, which sees him sat one place above his upcoming opponent.
Despite his undefeated UFC record, Volkanovski will enter his champ-champ challenge as a sizable underdog. That’s no doubt down to Makhachev’s elite Dagestani wrestling game, which has been an unsolvable puzzle in the Octagon to date.
But while that would appear to be the logical path to victory for the lightweight titleholder, he’s seemingly not afraid of throwing down with his Australian counterpart.
Makhachev Downplays Volkanovski’s Striking Acumen
During a face-to-face interview with Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA’s DC & RC show, Makhachev and Volkanovski reiterated their respective plans come fight night.
Rather than his usual wrestling-heavy approach, the Russian 31-year-old outlined his desire to knock Volkanovski out, a fate not suffered by the featherweight king since his fourth professional fight in 2013.
In response to Makhachev’s claim, Volkanovski unsurprisingly welcomed a possible standup battle inside the RAC Arena. And even though he doesn’t expect the 155-pound champ to follow through with those remarks, he hopes to force exchanges on the feet by withstanding takedown attempts.
“I like it. Hey, if you wanna stand up and try to fight — but we all know that ain’t gonna happen. We all know you wanna try and grab, but that’s all good,” Volkanovski said “We all know he’s gonna wanna shoot… But, he might be comfortable because he thinks I’m gonna be easier to take down… So I think he might be more comfortable at the start, but what about if he can’t hold me down? … That’s when you’re gonna really see him start to panic.
“You’re gonna have to stand with me! What I love about it is, I’m hearing a lot of people saying your stand up is underrated and all that type of stuff. We’ll find out,” Volkanovski added.
But while Volkanovski left no doubt about who he thinks will dominate in that realm, Makhachev fought back against the narrative that he can’t stand with his challenger and suggested that the Aussie is severely overestimating his abilities.
“We can stand no problem! Hey, you talk like you knock out all your opponents,” Makhachev responded. “You think you’re Muhammad Ali.”
[/quote]
Volkanovski’s striking game was firmly on display in 2022. After putting a beating on “The Korean Zombie” en route to a fourth-round stoppage, “Alexander the Great” dominated featherweight great Max Holloway across five rounds at UFC 276.
With that, Volkanovski is extremely confident in his standup skillset, and plans on channeling his inner Ali come fight night in Perth.
“I think I’m Muhammad Ali? … Hey, I know where I’m at. I’m confident in my ability and that’s that. I know I can strike and put a puzzle (in front of him)… I’ve got that fight IQ,” Volkanovski said before dismissing the suggestion his striking game will be affected at the higher weight. “I wanna be sharp, I wanna be fast, I want that movement. Like you said, Muhammad Ali. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
How do you think Islam Makhachev will fare on the feet against Alexander Volkanovski?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
At the UFC’s second pay-per-view event of the year, set for Perth, Australia, this Saturday, Volkanovski will make the walk in front of his home fans for the first time since 2018. Rather than a defense of his featherweight title, though, he’ll be pursuing a fresh piece of gold for his collection.
In the UFC 284 main event, “Alexander the Great” will share the Octagon with Makhachev, the lightweight king whose reign began last October with a decimation of former champion Charles Oliveira.
While it will be the Russian’s belt on the line, Volkanovski will also be bringing stakes to the table in the form of his top spot on the pound-for-pound ladder, which sees him sat one place above his upcoming opponent.
Despite his undefeated UFC record, Volkanovski will enter his champ-champ challenge as a sizable underdog. That’s no doubt down to Makhachev’s elite Dagestani wrestling game, which has been an unsolvable puzzle in the Octagon to date.
But while that would appear to be the logical path to victory for the lightweight titleholder, he’s seemingly not afraid of throwing down with his Australian counterpart.
Makhachev Downplays Volkanovski’s Striking Acumen
During a face-to-face interview with Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA’s DC & RC show, Makhachev and Volkanovski reiterated their respective plans come fight night.
Rather than his usual wrestling-heavy approach, the Russian 31-year-old outlined his desire to knock Volkanovski out, a fate not suffered by the featherweight king since his fourth professional fight in 2013.
In response to Makhachev’s claim, Volkanovski unsurprisingly welcomed a possible standup battle inside the RAC Arena. And even though he doesn’t expect the 155-pound champ to follow through with those remarks, he hopes to force exchanges on the feet by withstanding takedown attempts.
“I like it. Hey, if you wanna stand up and try to fight — but we all know that ain’t gonna happen. We all know you wanna try and grab, but that’s all good,” Volkanovski said “We all know he’s gonna wanna shoot… But, he might be comfortable because he thinks I’m gonna be easier to take down… So I think he might be more comfortable at the start, but what about if he can’t hold me down? … That’s when you’re gonna really see him start to panic.
“You’re gonna have to stand with me! What I love about it is, I’m hearing a lot of people saying your stand up is underrated and all that type of stuff. We’ll find out,” Volkanovski added.
But while Volkanovski left no doubt about who he thinks will dominate in that realm, Makhachev fought back against the narrative that he can’t stand with his challenger and suggested that the Aussie is severely overestimating his abilities.
“We can stand no problem! Hey, you talk like you knock out all your opponents,” Makhachev responded. “You think you’re Muhammad Ali.”
Volkanovski’s striking game was firmly on display in 2022. After putting a beating on “The Korean Zombie” en route to a fourth-round stoppage, “Alexander the Great” dominated featherweight great Max Holloway across five rounds at UFC 276.
With that, Volkanovski is extremely confident in his standup skillset, and plans on channeling his inner Ali come fight night in Perth.
“I think I’m Muhammad Ali? … Hey, I know where I’m at. I’m confident in my ability and that’s that. I know I can strike and put a puzzle (in front of him)… I’ve got that fight IQ,” Volkanovski said before dismissing the suggestion his striking game will be affected at the higher weight. “I wanna be sharp, I wanna be fast, I want that movement. Like you said, Muhammad Ali. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
How do you think Islam Makhachev will fare on the feet against Alexander Volkanovski?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
At the UFC’s second pay-per-view event of the year, set for Perth, Australia, this Saturday, Volkanovski will make the walk in front of his home fans for the first time since 2018. Rather than a defense of his featherweight title, though, he’ll be pursuing a fresh piece of gold for his collection.
In the UFC 284 main event, “Alexander the Great” will share the Octagon with Makhachev, the lightweight king whose reign began last October with a decimation of former champion Charles Oliveira.
While it will be the Russian’s belt on the line, Volkanovski will also be bringing stakes to the table in the form of his top spot on the pound-for-pound ladder, which sees him sat one place above his upcoming opponent.
Despite his undefeated UFC record, Volkanovski will enter his champ-champ challenge as a sizable underdog. That’s no doubt down to Makhachev’s elite Dagestani wrestling game, which has been an unsolvable puzzle in the Octagon to date.
But while that would appear to be the logical path to victory for the lightweight titleholder, he’s seemingly not afraid of throwing down with his Australian counterpart.
Makhachev Downplays Volkanovski’s Striking Acumen
During a face-to-face interview with Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA’s DC & RC show, Makhachev and Volkanovski reiterated their respective plans come fight night.
Rather than his usual wrestling-heavy approach, the Russian 31-year-old outlined his desire to knock Volkanovski out, a fate not suffered by the featherweight king since his fourth professional fight in 2013.
In response to Makhachev’s claim, Volkanovski unsurprisingly welcomed a possible standup battle inside the RAC Arena. And even though he doesn’t expect the 155-pound champ to follow through with those remarks, he hopes to force exchanges on the feet by withstanding takedown attempts.
“I like it. Hey, if you wanna stand up and try to fight — but we all know that ain’t gonna happen. We all know you wanna try and grab, but that’s all good,” Volkanovski said “We all know he’s gonna wanna shoot… But, he might be comfortable because he thinks I’m gonna be easier to take down… So I think he might be more comfortable at the start, but what about if he can’t hold me down? … That’s when you’re gonna really see him start to panic.
“You’re gonna have to stand with me! What I love about it is, I’m hearing a lot of people saying your stand up is underrated and all that type of stuff. We’ll find out,” Volkanovski added.
But while Volkanovski left no doubt about who he thinks will dominate in that realm, Makhachev fought back against the narrative that he can’t stand with his challenger and suggested that the Aussie is severely overestimating his abilities.
“We can stand no problem! Hey, you talk like you knock out all your opponents,” Makhachev responded. “You think you’re Muhammad Ali.”
[/quote]
Volkanovski’s striking game was firmly on display in 2022. After putting a beating on “The Korean Zombie” en route to a fourth-round stoppage, “Alexander the Great” dominated featherweight great Max Holloway across five rounds at UFC 276.
With that, Volkanovski is extremely confident in his standup skillset, and plans on channeling his inner Ali come fight night in Perth.
“I think I’m Muhammad Ali? … Hey, I know where I’m at. I’m confident in my ability and that’s that. I know I can strike and put a puzzle (in front of him)… I’ve got that fight IQ,” Volkanovski said before dismissing the suggestion his striking game will be affected at the higher weight. “I wanna be sharp, I wanna be fast, I want that movement. Like you said, Muhammad Ali. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
How do you think Islam Makhachev will fare on the feet against Alexander Volkanovski?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
