Alexander Volkanovski talks about potentially fighting at UFC 303 on short notice: "I'm always keen to throw my hand up"
Alexander Volkanovski recently explored the possibility of fighting at UFC 303 amid the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming pay-per-view's headliner.
The MMA promotion targeted to hold a pre-fight press conference in Dublin, Ireland, on June 3, featuring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. However, late Sunday night, the UFC announced the postponement of the presser for undisclosed reasons, with no new date set.
Adding to the intrigue, reports surfaced that the former two-division champion had canceled all upcoming media commitments, fueling speculation about the situation.
McGregor turned to X and addressed the postponement, attributing it to "obstacles outside of our control." Subsequent media reports have refuted any drug-related concerns, instead suggesting that the delay may be linked to a potential injury on the Irishman's part.
'The Great' is prepared to fully embrace the meme of being the last-minute savior of an event and is confident in his ability to step in as a replacement should anything go awry for the McGregor vs. Chandler fight at the eleventh hour.
During a recent public event (via Championship Rounds), the former longtime featherweight champion said:
"Nothing is booked at the moment. Whatever the talk is, I'm getting that training, obviously; I'm always training. Maybe it's coming at a good time. You're hearing all these whispers about what's going on with Conor McGregor and whatnot. Maybe they need a late notice replacement again, so I'm always keen to throw my hand up."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below:
Volkanovski suffered a devastating knockout loss to Ilia Topuria, relinquishing his 145-pound title in his most recent bout at UFC 298 this past February. The 35-year-old Australian is currently enduring a challenging stretch in his career, having won only one of his last four fights, with two of those losses coming against reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
When Alexander Volkanovski shared thoughts on "stupid" choice to accept a short-notice rematch with Islam Makhachev
After narrowly losing a decision to Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 in February, Alexander Volkanovski wasted no time in accepting a rematch when Charles Oliveira withdrew due to injury for UFC 294 in October 2023.
'The Great' suffered a costly outcome as he was knocked out just three minutes into the first round, marking Makhachev's second triumph over him.
During an appearance on the Who The Fook Are These Guys? podcast (via Sen) last December, Volkanovski pondered over his decision to accept the short-notice fight:
"At the time I took the [fight] underprepared, [it was] a stupid decision. There were times there when the pressure was a little bit too much for me; it was a bit uncomfortable; everyone gets that, and I want people to understand that I’m all good."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's interview below: