"I don't care I'm pound-for-pound No. 1, I'm happy to be a backup and come to the rescue" - Alexander Volkanovski ready to step in for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev despite topping P4P rankings
Alexander Volkanovski continues his campaign to be a backup fighter for the upcoming showdown between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. This despite being the new No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion.
Speaking to The AllStar's John Hyon, the UFC featherweight champion expressed his desire to be a replacement fighter for the highly anticipated lightweight title bout in Abu Dhabi in October. 'The Great' stated that there's a good possibility of either fighter pulling out and that he would gladly step in even though he's the pound-for-pound best:
"Both of these cut a lot of weight. Both of these guys are guaranteed to train very very hard. Let's be real. Charles Oliveira just had a problem last time stepping on the scale, I know [there's] a bit of a controversy around it but still... There's definitely a chance of something going wrong. Mate, I don't care if I'm pound-for-pound No. 1. I'm happy to be a backup and come to the rescue."
Alexander Volkanovski further explained that despite being at the top of the rankings right now, he doesn't find it demeaning to serve as a backup unlike most other fighters in a similar position.
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's interview with The AllStar below:
Alexander Volkanovski has gone 12-0 in the UFC since making his promotional debut in 2016. Holloway is the only 145-pounder to have ever posed a serious challenge to the reigning champion apart from two submission attempts from Brian Ortega. 'The Great' is now looking to further solidify his legacy by capturing a second title in the promotion.
Alexander Volkanovski on why Conor McGregor is on his UFC featherweight Mount Rushmore
Alex Volkanovski has named his Mount Rushmore of the UFC featherweight division. During the aforementioned interview with The AllStar, the featherweight champion picked Jose Aldo, Max Holloway and Conor McGregor.
'The Great' justified his decision to include McGregor by stating that 'The Notorious' has defeated both of the other two fighters on his Mt. Rushmore:
"I could sit there and stir the pot and not mention him and probably pi** him off. But how can you [not mention him]? He was one that dethroned Aldo back then. Well he has beat Max, obviously that was very early in Max's career, that's why that's probably not talked about very much."
Watch Conor McGregor's iconic knockout of Jose Aldo below:
Conor McGregor went 7-0 during his time in the featherweight division. 'The Notorious' hasn't found much success inside the octagon since leaving the 145-pound weight class and now finds himself 1-3 in his last four bouts.