Alexander Volkanovski plans on talking to Islam Makhachev during their fight

Alexander Volkanovski is feeling confident ahead of his mega-fight against Islam Makhachev. So much so that the Aussie said he would talk to his opponent during the fight.

When Alexander Volkanovski fought Max Holloway for the third time, he continuously taunted 'Blessed' in the octagon and remarked that he was faster than him.

In an interview with The Mac Life, the interviewer asked if he would repeat the stunt when he fights Islam Makhachev. 'The Great' responded:

"If he does grab a hold of me or even if he does get me down and we just bounce back or like, I'll be more than happy with that, even to get taken down, bounce right back up, I'll be happy with that. Just to be like, 'Ahh, how's that going on for you, gonna hold me down easy?'... Let's see how much your panic is shooting in now. I love seeing people's faces freak out like that."

Alexander Volkanovski believes Islam Makhachev will be surprised to find out that he will not be able to pin down the featherweight champion. The Australian has uncanny strength and explosive power stemming from his rugby days.

Take a look at the fight promo:

11 fight win streak, hasn't lost since 2015, and now the lightweight CHAMP 😤

@MakhachevMMA ready for his first title defense Saturday at #UFC284 https://t.co/QNao4imvBC

Take a look at the interview (Quotes from 8:16 onwards):

Islam Makhachev believes Dana White does not care about his fight against Alexander Volkanovski

Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski is one of the biggest fights the UFC has made in recent years. It has drawn comparisons with the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight.

However, the promo and hype surrounding the event seem to be underwhelming. According to the newly crowned lightweight champion, this is because the UFC president does not "care" to promote this event:

"I see that it is not such big promotion. Dana White himself has some problems; he does not pay much attention to this fight.... In terms of pay-per-view, yes, more could have been done. I only saw Volkanovski once, in Sydney. A tour could be organized around the world, a conference could be held in America."

Take a look at the quotes transcribed by MMAJunkie via RSport Russia:

Islam Makhachev isn't feeling the promotional hype around his champ-vs-champ fight.

#UFC284 | More: bit.ly/3Ht3lCE https://t.co/6wnAYH9k6v

With less than a week to go before the mega-fight, fans are wondering why UFC 284 has not been promoted as much as previous mega-fights. Some fans even credit it to the creation of the Power Slap League and claim Dana White is more focused on promoting his new league.

Take a look at the tweet:

@MMAJunkie @MAKHACHEVMMA @alexvolkanovski The UFC's marketing team are too busy using UFC's social media and YouTube channel to promote slap league instead