Photos: Alexander Volkanovski leaving 'no stone unturned' as he trains with BJJ ace Craig Jones for UFC 284 lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev
Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. The featherweight champion looks to become the fifth fighter in UFC history to achieve double champ status. He recently gave fans an inside glimpse of his training as he prepares for his first lightweight bout in the UFC.
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@MakhachevMMA takes on @AlexVolkanovski in the #UFC284 main event!
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Volkanovski shared images to his Instagram training with Australian grappler Craig Jones, who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The UFC's No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter captioned the post:
"No stone unturned. #UFC284"
Check out the images of Alexander Volkanovski's training below:
While Volkanovski will look to become the fifth double champ in UFC history, his opponent, Islam Makhachev, will look to claim the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings. With the fight scheduled for February 2023, Volkanovski's camp seems to be geared towards wrestling and grappling. He previously shared images of his wrestling training to Instagram.
Facing an elite wrestler such as Makhachev, Volkanovski and his camp are aware of how important that aspect of mixed martial arts will be. The featherweight champion will put his 22-fight win-streak on the line, as he has not lost a fight since 2013. He has won all 12 of his fights in the UFC, the eighth-longest streak in the promotion's history.
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's previous post sharing his wrestling training:
Alexander Volkanovski is expecting a stand-up fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 284
Alexander Volkanovski will chase double champ status in a highly anticipated UFC 284 matchup against Islam Makhachev. The featherweight champion recently shared that he is expecting a stand-up fight against the lightweight champion. Speaking to Laura Sanko at UFC 281, Volkanovski stated:
"Islam's a great fighter, but I love a challenge. That's what I've been doing my whole life... I'm the right man for the job. Obviously strategy and all that goes a long way and I'm very hard to hold down. I'm expecting a stand-up battle, let's see how good his striking is."
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While Volkanovski will look to test Makhachev's striking in a stand-up battle, the No.2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter will surely look to utilize his wrestling. Makhachev has the tenth-best takedown accuracy in UFC history among fighters with at least five fights and 20 takedown attempts. He has also absorbed the least strikes per minute in UFC history.
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's full comments on his expectations for UFC 284 below (starting at the 1:50 mark):
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