UFC
Volkanovski wants to fight Makhachev in October
The UFC featherweight champion defended his belt successfully against Tair Rodriguez at UFC 290 and says he’s ready for a rematch with the Russian.
Alexander Volkanovski delivered another impressive performance at UFC 290 in Las Vegas by stopping Yair Rodriguez via TKO in the third round.
The Mexican fighter was considered one of the most dangerous fights for The Great, as Rodriguez punished Josh Emmet in great fashion to defeat the American in round two back in February.
Although there are fighters like Ilia Topuria or Max Holloway that would be great opponents for Volkanovski, the Australian fighter’s priority is to fight Islam Makhachev again at lightweight.
The undefeated Russian won that clash, but the Australian did better than many expected given the weight difference and was very close to pulling off the upset and becoming a two-division champ.
Volkanovski wants the lightweight belt
During the post-fight press conference, Volk spoke about his potential opponents, but didn’t bite his tongue when letting the journalists know who would like to face next:
“We all know I want that lightweight belt [against Islam Malhachev]. We all know I want that rematch. I want that Islam fight. I think not only for me to get that belt, to get that win back but I think it is a massive fight for the UFC as well”.
“I think it’s a fight everyone wants to see. It was literally that type of fight. It was that close. It was a cracking fight. Everyone enjoyed it. I was very, very high level”, he added.
“It was [No. 1 and No. 2 pound-for-pound] going at it. We showed out, it really was that., He lived up to the hype. I lived up to the hype and that fight lived up to the hype. We just need to see [rounds] 5 to 10″, he stated.
Volkanovski may require surgery to fully recover after UFC 290, but his objective is to be back into the octagon in October, for UFC 294, which be held in Abu Dhabi. Makhachev could be the main event, and Oliveira, who recently defeated Beneil Dariush, would be his opponent, but in the case the Brazilian decides to take a longer break, Volk says he will be ready.
“It makes it a lot better opportunity for me to step in there [against Islam Makhachev]. “I’m not ruling that out. It’s funny. These people want extra time off and here I am telling you I’m going to get surgery and I’ll probably going to turn out there in October. That’s what I’m showing you”, Volkanovski concluded.
If Volkanovski finally decides to try to get that rematch with Makachev at lightweight, there are possibilities to see Topuria fight either Holloway or Rodriguez next in Spain.