UFC
Who could be Alexander Volkanovski’s next opponent after UFC 290? The three best possible fights
The Australian great proved once again he’s one of the best fighters in the entire UFC, but who could he face after his performance in Las Vegas?
While many believe Jon Jones is the greatest fighter in UFC history, many MMA fans think Alexander Volkanovski is the most solid fighter in the promotion right now.
The Great had another big challenge in Yair Rodriguez on Saturday, as the interim featherweight champion was looking to become the division kingpin and had previously defeated Josh Emmet in devastating fashion.
However, Volkanovski, who went into the octagon as the clear favorite to get his hand raised, left no doubts to those who thought the Mexican could have a real chance of defeating him due to his relentless pressure and unorthodox and surprising fighting style.
The Aussie recorded a three-round TKO over El Pantera, improving his record to 26-2, while Rodriguez will have to earn his way back to a title shot after his loss.
“There was a bit of fear ... knowing how dangerous he was. That’s the truth. I put it in my head. This week, I flipped the switch because of the respect I have for him. Now I’m a champion. I’m the king of the division. No one’s ever stopped me”, Volk said after the fight.
Volkanovski’s three potential opponents
After his stellar win on Saturday night, many are already thinking about Volkanovski’s next opponents.
Many fighters in the featherweight category would love to face the Australian mixed martial artist, but only a selected group of them have real options of fighting him next in the octagon.
Ilia Topuria is one of them. The Georgian-Spanish undefeated fighter has become a threat in the division, defeating all of his opponents and doing it in great fashion.
He has always had a confident approach in his interviews, something he has proven inside the cage against quality opponents like Josh Emmet or Bryce Mitchell. He has good boxing skills and a solid ground game, although is less experienced than Volkanovski.
Another fighter that could face Volkanovski is Max Holloway. If that fight actually happened, it would be the fourth time they challenge each other, with Volk winning all the previous three encounters via close decisions in five-round championship bouts.
Not many people can keep the fight on the feet and trade punches with Blessed, but Alexander is one of them, defeating the charismatic Hawaiian great using his punches and kicks in all of their fights.
A rematch with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev? This is another real possibility. Both men met last February in a fight where the Australian moved up in weight to try to take the belts from the Russian.
Although many believed that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s friend would dominate the smaller and less experienced fighter on the ground, The Great was close to winning the fight after being the best martial artist in the last two rounds.
After their clash, Makhachev admitted that Volkanovki had massively improved his ground game and that he would be more than ready to face the Australian again if they agreed to make it possible.