UFC fighter and analyst makes a case of Alexander Volkanovski being the best fighter ever if he beats Islam Makhachev
Alexander Volkanovski will look to achieve greatness when he faces Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 this weekend as he attempts to become just the fifth double champ in UFC history. Michael Chiesa recently revealed that he believes the featherweight champion would be the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time with a victory.
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@MakhachevMMA takes on @AlexVolkanovski in the #UFC284 main event!
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During a recent appearance on SiriusXM's Fight Nation, the No.12-ranked welterweight stated:
"Undoubtedly, if he beats Islam Makhachev, he is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of our time. I just think that thereβs no way you can deny him that respect. To dominate the 145-pound division the way he does, and if he goes out and beats Islam Makhachev, there is no way you can not have him pegged as the best guy weβve ever seen fight in the octagon."
Michael Chiesa added:
"I usually say arguably, but this is an unarguable case if he beats Islam that heβs the best fighter weβve ever seen... If Alex can go up and pull of the win over Islam, thatβs a feat that nobody else has done... Even if he comes up short, who cares? Heβs gonna go back down to 145 pounds where heβs reigned supreme and just continue his run there, so thereβs no losing for Alexander Volkanovski in this fight."
While Volkanovski has had a tremendous mixed martial arts career, there aren't many that would argue he is the greatest of all-time. The featherweight champion has just four title defenses, two of which came against Max Holloway, who he defeated for the title.
Watch Michael Chiesa's comments on Alexander Volkanovski below:
"This is an unarguable case, if he beats Islam, that he's the best fighter we've ever seen."
Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) says Alexander Volkanovski is the GOAT with a win at #UFC284 π
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Islam Makhachev reveals his plan to knock out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284
Alexander Volkanovski will face what could be the toughest challenge of his career when he faces Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, the lightweight champion revealed that he plans to knock the featherweight champion out, stating:
"I cannot underestimate him because he's small. He is the best fighter right now. He's number one right now, but I really believe all my skills like striking and grappling, wrestling - that's why I told you I want to knock him out because I know I can do this... This is my dream. I'm going to look for that."
Volkanovski's only career loss came via knockout all the way back in 2013, however, he was competing as a welterweight at the time. The No.1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter is undefeated in four career fights as a lightweight, but he has not competed in the division since his UFC debut in 2016.
Watch Islam Makhachev discuss his plans for UFC 284 below (starting at the 1:57 mark):