Alexander Volkanovski thinks Islam Makhachev will regret underestimating him due to his size
Alexander Volkanovski believes Islam Makahchev is making a mistake by underestimating him because of his size.
On February 11, Volkanovski will look to solidify himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time by becoming a two-division UFC champion. Although ‘The Great’ is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, he’s being somewhat overlooked because of the size difference between him and Makhachev.
TO FACE 🏆 TO 🏆 FACE!
@MAKHACHEVMMA and @AlexVolkanovski faced off in Sydney ahead of their superfight at #UFC284! https://t.co/sn99NaD4Vb
Moments after Makhahcev became the UFC lightweight champion at UFC 280, Volkanovski stepped into the Octagon for their first official faceoff. Earlier in the week, the two world champions accidentally met face-to-face in a hotel. ‘The Great’ felt like the Russian was judging him by his size.
During an interview on Israel Adesanya’s YouTube channel, Volkanovski discussed his first encounter with Makhachev and had this to say:
“I’ve always been short. That’s how it is. Even the featherweights are taller than me, but you could even see in his face looking like, this guy, I’m too big. I’ve seen that on plenty of peoples’ faces. I’ve seen that in a lot of my previous fights… That face quickly changes as soon as I’m in front of them in the Octagon. Give me ten seconds with him. That face changes real quick.”
Watch Alexander Volkanovski discuss Islam Makhachev below:
Alexander Volkanovski lists the problem he presents for his opponents
Alexander Volkanovski will be undersized against Islam Makhachev, but it can’t be forgotten that he’s the pound-for-pound king. Volkanovski is 12-0 in the UFC and definitely shouldn’t be overlooked at UFC 284. During the same interview, the reigning featherweight world champion had this to say:
“All of a sudden, that size don’t matter. All of a sudden, my footwork, where is this guy at? I’m a puzzle… And I put my hands on him, there’s another problem. Then they try grab a hold of me, and I’m a little brick f***ing wall, there’s another problem. That’s when you see them start to crumble and be like,’oh, f**k, what have I gotten myself into.’ That’s exactly what’s going to happen to Islam [Makhachev].”
Volkanovski has another trick up his sleeve besides being one of the best fighters on the planet. The 34-year-old will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd. UFC 284 goes down inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Only time will tell if ‘The Great’ can pull off the upset and become a two-division champion.