NFL star Raheem Mostart names Alexander Volkanovski among three UFC fighters he'd pick to play pro-football
Miami Dolphins star Raheem Mostart recently named Alexander Volkanovski as one of three UFC fighters he'd pick for a professional football game. Considering the Australian used to play semi-professional rugby before transitioning to MMA, it appears Mostart made a good pick for his fantasy NFL team.
Volkanovski is the reigning UFC featherweight champion and is widely considered among the most exciting fighters to look out for in the promotion. Before his meteoric rise as an MMA fighter, 'The Great' played semi-professional rugby for the Warilla Gorillas in his hometown of New South Wales in Australia.
Interestingly, Volkanovski also won the coveted Mick Cronin Medal for best player in the league in 2010. He helped his team beat Gerringong in the Grand Finale next year and received the 'Man of the Match' award. The Australian quit the sport in 2011 to try his luck in mixed martial arts. He went on to become the UFC featherweight champion in than eight years after his life-altering decision.
In a recent episode of Relentlessly Motivated, UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns asked Mostart about his three fantasy fighter picks for an NFL game. The Miami Dolphins star replied:
"For sure, I'm picking you [Burns] because I know what I'm going to get. I'm going to bring Jon Jones. I like Jon Jones. I like his tenacity. A smaller guy, bald head, got a beard. Volkanovski, I'm bringing him."
Alexander Volkanovski confirms lightweight ambitions ahead of UFC 298 title fight
Alexander Volkanovski is booked to defend the UFC featherweight title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 on Feb. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Given Topuria's resume, many are concerned about the Australian's chances of winning.
Ahead of his highly anticipated return to action after losing his second fight against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev via first-round knockout about four months ago, 'The Great' reiterated his dream of competing at 155 pounds in the future.
During a recent media-day interview, Volkanovski dismissed any concerns about Topuria dishing out damage and revealed plans to move up to lightweight in the future. He said:
"Everybody's gonna be reminded, and then everybody is gonna be switching a full 180 saying there's nothing left for me at 145, and they want me to go take that lightweight belt … Lightweight definitely in the near future."
While Volkanovski is coming off a crushing knockout loss to Makhachev, 'El Matador' is undefeated so far with a perfect 14-0 record. He last beat Josh Emmett via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 5.