March 28, 2025 9:10 pm ET
Alexander Volkanovski is assured that nobody can outmatch him in a five-round UFC struggle.
Former five-time defending UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) was unbeaten for nearly 10 years till he bumped into light-weight champion Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) at UFC 284. Volkanovski fell merely quick in his bid for dual-champion standing when he was edged out by Makhachev in a competitive fight.
Volkanovski returned to featherweight to notch a profitable title protection in opposition to Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, and jumped right into a short-notice alternative to rematch Makhachev at UFC 294. Nonetheless, Volkanovski wound up getting knocked out within the first spherical. His return to 145 kilos was not profitable this time, as he was dethroned by Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in another knockout loss.
Outdoors of getting caught, Volkanovski thinks he has the abilities to go toe-to-toe with anybody on the roster for 5 rounds – perhaps exterior of Makhachev.
“I don’t consider anybody can beat me,” Volkanovski instructed Fox Sports Australia. “The one person who I can see giving me a troublesome struggle for 5 rounds is an Islam Makhachev within the first one, as you’ve seen. Everybody else has simply acquired a puncher’s likelihood. That’s simply how I at all times take a look at it. I really consider that, and that’s the boldness I’ve in myself. Nobody can beat me.”
With featherweight champion Ilia Topuria relinquishing his title, Volkanovski and Diego Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will compete for the vacant title within the UFC 314 important occasion April 12 at Kaseya Middle from Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+).
“They will catch me, so I feel he must be reckless to beat me,” Volkanovski stated. “If he tries to struggle this good struggle, it’s not going to work. He must try to be reckless and catch me. That’s his greatest likelihood, so he’s going to do what everyone knows he’s going to do and what he’s been doing, which is thrilling for the followers, however it opens a whole lot of doorways for me. … (There’s) rather a lot I can capitalize and that I’ll capitalize on.”
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