Alexander Volkanovski matches record of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman and two other UFC legends following UFC 273 win
Alexander Volkanovski has joined an elite group of fighters after his victory over Chan Sung Jung in the main event at UFC 273. Volkanovski is one of just five fighters to start his career at 11-0 or better in the UFC. 'The Great' has now joined the likes of Anderson Silva, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Royce Gracie and Kamaru Usman as the only fighters to accomplish this feat.
Breaking the news, ESPN's Marc Raimondi wrote on Twitter:
"Alexander Volkanovski is one of just five fighters to start his career at 11-0 or better in the UFC, per @ESPNStatsInfo. The others are all-time greats: Anderson Silva, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Royce Gracie and Kamaru Usman. #UFC273"
Alexander Volkanovski is one of just five fighters to start his career at 11-0 or better in the UFC, per @ESPNStatsInfo. The others are all-time greats: Anderson Silva, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Royce Gracie and Kamaru Usman. #UFC273
Volkanovski recorded his third successful featherweight title defense at the recently concluded pay-per-view. The Australian imposed punishment on Jung throughout the fight before stopping him via fourth-round TKO.
During his incredible run in the world's premier MMA promotion, Volkanovski has already beaten the likes of Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway (twice) and Brian Ortega.
Never in doubt 😤
[ @AlexVolkanovski | #UFC273 ] https://t.co/UdogFib4Rz
Alexander Volkanovski believes Chan Sung Jung took too much damage at UFC 273
Alexander Volkanovski had to fight tooth and nail to win and subsequently defend his title against Max Holloway. Since his two-fight series with Holloway, 'The Great' appears to have set himself apart from the rest of the division, scoring dominant wins over Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung.
While Volkanovski dominated 'The Korean Zombie' right from the opening bell, it was only in the fourth round that the referee stepped in. The Australian dropped his Korean counterpart late in round three and came close to finishing him with ground-and-pound strikes.
Referee Herb Dean and the cageside doctor kept a close eye on Jung going into the fourth round. A huge combination from Volkanovski forced Dean to call a halt to the action at 00:45 of the penultimate round. The featherweight champion believes 'The Korean Zombie' took too much damage before the contest was called. He said in his post-fight octagon interview:
“I told you before this fight all week, I’m on another level right now. I can’t be stopped. He actually took a lot more than I wanted him to. I thought they could have stopped it a bit earlier. I started feeling bad in there but that’s the sport we’re in.”
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's post-fight interview below: