Daniel Cormier downplays size difference between Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovski at UFC 284
Daniel Cormier has seemingly downplayed the size difference between his teammate Islam Makhachev and the latter's UFC 284 opponent Alexander Volkanovski. This comes at a time when 'Volk' is receiving widespread praise for putting on an impressive performance against the much bigger Makhachev.
UFC lightweight (155-pound) champion Islam Makhachev successfully retained his title against UFC featherweight (145-pound) champion Alexander Volkanovski. Their closely-contested fight transpired at UFC 284 on February 12th and saw Makhachev win via unanimous decision.
The UFC 284 showdown transpired at lightweight, which is Makhachev's weight class. Many believed that he had a significant size advantage over Volkanovski, as he appeared to be quite taller and heavier than the featherweight kingpin.
𝙈𝙈𝘼 𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩...
𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙢 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙝𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙫 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙑𝙤𝙡𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙨𝙠𝙞🫡👏
#UFC284 https://t.co/WJzrBe7As1
In the latest edition of ESPN MMA's DC & RC podcast, MMA legend Daniel Cormier disagreed with podcast co-host Ryan Clark's assertion that Islam Makhachev enjoyed a huge size advantage over Alexander Volkanovski. 'DC' shut down Clark's claims and opined that Makhachev and Volkanovski were likely around the same weight on fight night. Cormier stated:
"In theory, he [Makhachev] is 10 pounds heavier, starting, essentially; but only for -- no lie, Ryan -- he's 10 pounds heavier only for outside of fight camp or only on weigh-in day. Because it's not like Islam Makhachev weighed more than Alexander Volkanovski on fight night. I wish we had the numbers on the scale because they only weigh 155 for that short period of time that they step on that scale. Islam can't get back to his max number in 24 hours, neither can Volkanovski, so you've gotta imagine they were pretty similar on fight night."
Furthermore, 'DC' suggested that Volkanovski is short in stature but probably weighed around the same as Makhachev did when they clashed inside the octagon:
"Islam was probably gonna be about 175 max; that's about 20 pounds. Volkanovski looked huge in there, bro. He's so thick."
Watch Cormier discuss the topic at 8:10 in the video below:
Could Alexander Volkanovski's featherweight duties delay his potential rematch against Islam Makhachev?
While the UFC 284 event was headlined by the Makhachev-Volkanovski matchup, the co-headliner witnessed Yair Rodriguez defeating Josh Emmett via second-round submission to win the interim UFC featherweight title. The consensus is that UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski could possibly face Rodriguez in a title unification matchup next.
Yair Rodríguez does the business and is now the new Interim UFC Featherweight Champion! 🏆
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Regardless, Alexander Volkanovski has been lobbying for an immediate rematch against Islam Makhachev 'The Great' has consistently highlighted that he, and not Makhachev, ought to have been awarded the victory on the judges' scorecards.
Volkanovski and Makhachev's respective upcoming matchups haven't been officially announced as of yet. Nevertheless, both fighters have asserted that they'd be open to a potential rematch.