To say it’s been a busy week for the UFC would be a huge understatement. The main card at UFC 294 was plunged into chaos on Monday as Charles Oliveira pulled out of the main event following a nasty cut to his eye. Rumors were then circulating that Paulo Costa was also going to be absent following a recent operation on a staph infection – rumors which were later confirmed.
Volkanovski on how UFC 294 came about
Alexander Volkanovski agreed to step in to fight Islam Makhachev on short notice for the lightweight title, and the UFC confirmed that Kamaru Usman would replace Paulo Costa in the co-main event as he makes his way up to the 185lb division. All of this happened within a twenty-four-hour period, and shortly afterward, we had the news that the UFC would not be extending their deal with USADA for their anti-doping services past January 2024 – A whirlwind week in the world of the UFC.
Taking time out from the little that he has, Alexander Volkanovski spoke with Submission Radio and gave insight into how this week’s events unfolded and his thoughts on the upcoming fight with Makhachev at UFC 294.
”As soon as I got the phone call, I didn’t really hesitate. There was probably a smile on my face literally straight away. It’s a crazy thing to do (take the fight on short notice) but at the same time, it’s exciting, and you know, we talk about high risk, high reward. If anyone can do it, it’s me.”
UFC 294 takes place a week from today on Saturday, October 21st. Volkanovski only got the call on Tuesday (10th) to ask if he would accept the fight with Makhachev. The warrior that he is, rejecting the opportunity to become a simultaneous two-weight UFC Champion was never in doubt.
Volkanovski will have to contend with an obstacle between now and UFC 294: getting into fighting shape. As of Monday, he was scheduled to fight Ilia Topuria at UFC 297 on January 20th. With that fight being three months away, Volkanovski admitted that although he was training, he was in holiday mode. Without going too much into detail regarding his current weight due to wanting to save that revelation for his YouTube channel, the featherweight champion indicated that he was rather heavy.
Alexander Volkanovski’s thoughts on the fight
The fight with Makhachev at UFC 294 will be at Lightweight, so the weight cut shouldn’t be too brutal for Volkanovski. He seemed in great spirits during his interview with Submission Radio and looked to be chomping at the bit. Volkanovski acknowledged that this is the most adversity he has faced as a fighter due to taking this fight on such short notice, thousands of miles away in Abu Dhabi. He also said it’s the most excited he’s been for a fight.
It’s easy to see why Volkanovski would be so excited. He’s got another opportunity to win the lightweight title and stake his claim as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, an accolade currently held by Jon Jones, who is fighting Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November. With Volkanovski currently ranked number two P4P, a win next Saturday would most likely see him dethrone Jones, as he’d have two UFC titles.
Throughout Volkanovski’s chat with Submission Radio, it’s clear that he’s very confident about his chances at UFC 294. His first fight with Makhachev went the distance, with two of the judges scoring the bout in favor of Makhachev by just one round. The lessons learned from that night have given Volkanovski reason to believe that this time around, it will be different.
”I’m looking forward to this one (fight). I think I’m going to be even harder to take down, even with the short notice, purely because of my freshness, how excited I am, and my takedown defense; It’s going to be fun. I want to go out there and I want to hurt him. We’ll try and make sure it doesn’t go five rounds; I want to finish it early – I don’t want to test his gas tank. Don’t get me wrong, I reckon I can do it, but let’s not try and test it; let’s just finish him early. I’m going to be a dangerous man in there next week, and I can’t wait.” – Volkanovski told Submission Radio.
Many fans thought that Alexander Volkanovski won his first fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. Whether he did or not is now irrelevant, as he has the opportunity to put things right at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi next week at UFC 294 in the main event.
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