Alexander Volkanovski explains why he's "better a little bit emotional"
Alexander Volkanovski is no stranger to fighting under high stakes and has seemingly mastered the art of handling pressure. The Australian recently claimed he enjoys letting the intensity of a fight get to him and that he uses it as fuel.
The reigning featherweight champion has set his sights on becoming only the fifth simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history and will face Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 for the lightweight belt. The two titleholders will go head-to-head for the 155-pound strap and the pound-for-pound No.1 spot this weekend.
While the pressure of high-profile contests often affects fighters, Alexander Volkanovski is confident in his ability to use his emotions to his benefit. In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA, the 34-year-old Aussie revealed that he has always been good at controlling his emotions:
"Put me in any position, and I can make it work. They boo'ed me last time, that fired me up... I can just use that and make it work for me... I'm better a little bit emotional because I'm so good at controlling it. I'm so composed anyway, I still see everything. So it just gives me that sharpness, my eye, everything is just on."
Watch the full interview below:
Alexander Volkanovski adresses size disadvantage against Islam Makhachev
Alexander Volkanovski recently challenged claims that he is too small to defeat Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. Makhachev has repeatedly highlighted the size difference between the two fighters so far and it is certainly a key factor heading into the fight.
Islam Makhachev says "small" Alexander Volkanovski will be out of his depth challenging for his 155-pound title. 😬
#UFC280 | Full video: bit.ly/3Ss2m9h https://t.co/Ii2DknmAs7
Makhachev is on an impressive 11-fight winning streak and dominantly submitted Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 to win the vacant UFC lightweight title. Widely regarded as the heir to former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 31-year-old Dagestani will go into the fight as the betting favorite over pound-for-pound king Volkanovski.
In a recent video by MainEvent, Volkanovski outlined his gameplan and iterated his belief in being able to get the job done:
"I've always been undersized with everything I did. It's going to be a hard challenge, but I guarantee you I can do it... In my head, I need to prepare as if we're going down. I need people to put me in the worst possible position I can [get to] and I'll fight from there... Even if he gets me in a bad position, you'll probably see a smile on my face."
Watch the full video below: