Alexander Volkanovski shares his top-five fighters of all-time, with one surprise inclusion
Alexander Volkanovski has not entered the octagon since February when he suffered a second-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, losing the featherweight title in the process. While he does not have a date for his return to the octagon, it appears that he will face 'El Matador' in his next appearance.
The No. 1-ranked featherweight recently revealed his top five mixed martial artists of all time. Speaking on a Q&A on his YouTube channel, 'The Great' said:
"Top 5 fighters of all-time, damn. Alright, let’s get into it. I’m going to say Demetrious Johnson. I’m going to have to throw Jon Jones in there. Everyone knows my take on the trouble outside of it, but he’s just been champ. He’s been at the top forever so you can’t not [include him]. I know a lot of people are always going to throw out them things - and I do myself because I pride myself on trying to stay away from all that crap as well - but you can’t deny his skill."
Volkanovski continued:
"He’s definitely one of the greatest of all time, so you have to give Jon Jones that. So Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre... I’m going to have to throw Anderson Silva in there, and I’ll throw my boy Israel Adesanya as well. A lot of championships. When it comes to striking, I honestly think he’s the greatest striker the UFC has ever seen so I’m going to go with Israel Adesanya as well."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's top-five fighters of all-time below (3:00):
While the first four names are typically included in most all-time lists, Volkanovski listing Israel Adesanya, his City Kickboxing teammate, will likely lead to some pushback. It is difficult, however, to ignore the two-time middleweight champion's impact during his lengthy title reign.
Alexander Volkanovski says he'd fight Alex Pereira for the right price
Alexander Volkanovski and Alex Pereira are separated by four weight classes and 60 pounds. The former featherweight champion revealed that he would be open to facing 'Poatan' for the right price.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, 'The Great' stated:
"Money talks, mate, money talks... The price is right I’ll do it, I'd do it, I would. I could see myself hanging onto a leg. I’m a confident guy but I ain’t going to stand there with that bloke, let’s be real. I'm going to try to hang onto the legs and try to find that takedown. I’ll go for everything hoping I could get that takedown cause if you don’t you’re gonna be in for some hurt and that’s for sure."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments on facing Alex Pereira below (24:47):
Volkanovski added that he would be open to facing any opponent for the right price. The former featherweight champion has already shown his willingness to step in on short notice, garnering plenty of praise from the fanbase.