"I need to fight in Australia" - Alexander Volkanovski looking to fight winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev early next year
Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev will headline UFC 280 on October 22nd, meeting in a highly-anticipated bout with the vacant UFC lightweight title at stake. Speaking of this title, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has his sights set on the lightweight belt. 'Volk' is on a quest to become a two-weight UFC champion.
Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski defeated Max Holloway via unanimous decision earlier this month, successfully defending his UFC featherweight title. In the latest edition of The MMA Hour, host Ariel Helwani referenced the same. Helwani indicated that many believed a win over Holloway would earn Volkanovski a shot at the lightweight belt and double-champ status.
Responding to Helwani, Volkanovski alluded to the fact that the UFC brass had hinted that beating Holloway would bag him a lightweight title shot. Nevertheless, ‘The Great’ acknowledged that nothing’s been officially signed as of yet.
48-47 for Holloway
48-47 for Volkanovski
48-47 for Volkanovski
How did you score the fight? 🤔 #UFC251 https://t.co/jyLBxU5RIW
Volkanovski explained that he’s still recovering from a hand injury and is looking to return in late 2022 or early 2023. He opined that he’d love to squeeze in another UFC featherweight title defense at the earliest possible date. Regardless, he admitted that his ideal plan would be to fight for the lightweight belt in early 2023 and then defend his featherweight title soon after. Volkanovski stated:
“They’re looking at coming to Australia in the early quarter of the year, the first quarter of the next year. And I need to defend my belt, right? I need to fight in Australia. I think I deserve that.”
“Obviously, everyone in Australia deserves [it]. It’s what I want. And the UFC would be very happy to have me headline a card over there as well. So, that’s probably what will happen. You know, fight for the lightweight title in that early half or early quarter of the year.”
Watch Volkanovski discuss the topic at 3:44:00 in the video below:
Eugene Bareman views Charles Oliveira as a tougher fight than Islam Makhachev for Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski’s coach Eugene Bareman recently claimed that Charles Oliveira would be a tougher test than Islam Makhachev for ‘Volk’. In an interview with Submission Radio, Bareman highlighted that Oliveira is skilled in both the striking and grappling realms of MMA.
Furthermore, Eugene Bareman pointed out that Islam Makhachev is primarily just a grappler. Bareman said:
"Definitely [Oliveira] is a more difficult match [for Volkanovski], in my opinion. Yeah, I mean, just Oliveira has a more well-rounded skill set, so there's more to deal with. I know a lot of people talk about, I mean, Islam Makhachev has good stand up, but that just depends on who you are looking in, I guess.”
Watch Bareman’s interview below: