Alexander Volkanovski explains how a fight against Conor McGregor will be about much more than money
The reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski emphasizes that a potential matchup against Conor McGregor holds significance beyond financial gains.
Despite securing victories against renowned fighters such as Jose Aldo, Max Holloway, Chad Mendes, and Chan Sung Jung, the 145-pound kingpin has yet to add the name of former featherweight champion Conor McGregor to his impressive list of conquests. McGregor, who has moved up in weight, remains one of the most notable opponents that Volkanovski wants to face in his career.
During a recent interaction on The MMA Fan Podcast, Volkanovksi stated:
"It’s pretty easy for me in saying Conor McGregor because he was in featherweight. We’ve got to remember the champions I’ve beat. I’ve beat every other champion in the featherweight division. The only champ I haven’t fought in the featherweight division is Conor McGregor. McGregor in his prime in featherweight division would obviously be the all-time. I’m sure everyone would want to see that right now."
'The Great' added:
"Everyone’s going to talk about the money, and that’s why you only want that fight. Yeah, of course there’s money in it, the circus around it, the hype, all of that. But you talk about legacy, you know then I would have beaten every featherweight champion, and I plan on having the most defenses as well.”
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's entire remarks below:
Alexander Volkanovski claims that Yair Rodriguez's fight at UFC 290 has caused him to 'think differently'
Alexander Volkanovski is intensifying his training regimen for a highly anticipated clash against interim title holder Yair Rodriguez. The title unification bout is scheduled to take place on July 8 as part of the highly anticipated International Fight Week.
Following his previous fight against current lightweight champion Islam Makachev at UFC 284, Alexander Volkanovski is now gearing up for his upcoming bout against Yair Rodriguez. Notably, Rodriguez secured the interim featherweight title on the same night as Volkanovski's last fight. As he prepares for the clash, 'The Great' is fully aware of the threat posed by 'El Pantera,' which has compelled him to adjust his training approach accordingly:
"This is definitely a still exciting for me because, the man Rodriguez like yeah yeah, like he's a good man, he's a dangerous fighter. It's exciting... so it's you know, it's making me have to, you know, think a little bit differently."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's training footage below: