Is Alexander Volkanovski the featherweight GOAT? UFC 145-pounder Nate Landwehr discusses (Exclusive)
UFC featherweight Nate Landwehr recently weighed in on where Alexander Volkanovski stands in the UFC's featherweight G.O.A.T debate. While the American recognizes the Australian's status as champion, Landwehr sees him as just another opponent who happens to be the titleholder.
'The Great' boasts one of the most impressive resumes in the UFC and is considered by many to be one of the greatest featherweights of all time, if not the greatest. He recently lost his bid to become a two-division champion when lightweight champion Islam Makhachev emerged victorious after their super fight at UFC 284. Before that, Alexander Volkanovski was undefeated in the promotion, with a 12-fight winning streak.
In an exclusive interview with Andrew Whitelaw of Sportskeeda MMA, Landwehr was asked to weigh in on whether Alexander Volkanovski could be the featherweight GOAT. He replied:
"It's hard for me to think about sh*t like that because we're in the same division. To me, he's just another dude. Maybe when I'm done and look back on it, I'll say it, but as of right now, he's just another man at 145 [pounds], and he's the champ now."
Watch the full interview below:
Nate Landwehr on whether Jose Aldo is the featherweight GOAT ahead of Alexander Volkanovski
In the same exclusive interview, Nate Landwehr also weighed in on Jose Aldo's place in the featherweight GOAT debate.
Interestingly, Alexander Volkanovski has dominated the 145-pound division since becoming champion in December 2019, but he's still three defenses short of Aldo's record (seven title defenses). The soon-to-be Hall of Famer left the sport with a record of 31-8, with 17 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Speaking to Andrew Whitelaw, Landwehr stated that he looked at Jose Aldo the same way as Alexander Volkanovski. While admitting that Aldo was a legend in Brazil and that his achievements helped move the sport forward, 'The Train' stated:
"I think he was the first one. I think he did well. He's a legend in Brazil, and I think that everything he did helped the sport. But he's a man like anybody else. The fighter in me with the ego in me, is like, nobody's more than equal, you know what I mean?"
Meanwhile, Nate Landwehr is set to face Austin Lingo on the main card at UFC San Antonio this weekend after his original opponent Alex Caiceres dropped out. 'The Train' is riding a two-fight win streak, beating David Onana in August 2022 via decision and L'udovit Klein via submission in October 2021.
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