Worse for me but makes so much sense - Alexander Volkanovski on potentially fighting Conor McGregor at 170 lbs
Alexander Volkanovski is willing to move up to 170 lbs to fight Conor McGregor. The UFC featherweight champ has been eyeing a potential money fight against McGregor for a while now and is even willing to move to welterweight to make the fight possible despite knowing he'd be at a disadvantage.
Having said that, 'The Great' made it clear that he'd like the fight to take place at 155 lbs because he knows McGregor can cut down to lightweight. However, if he chooses not to, Volkanovski is willing to jump a couple of weight classes to fight the Irishman.
Apart from the obvious reason that he'll earn a big payday from a McGregor fight, Volkanovski feels there are several other reasons why the fight makes sense. He pointed out that 'The Notorious' is the only currently active former featherweight champion he's yet to beat.
If he manages to do that, Volkanovski feels it'd go a long way in establishing him as one of the greatest featherweight champs of all time. During an interview with Submission Radio, he said:
"I mean like obviously it would be 155. I guess I would just say these things because at the end of the day I would fight at 170 if that was like the deal breaker like, [McGregor saying] 'No, I'm not fighting unless it's at welterweight'... Let's remember he is the only other featherweight champion that I haven't beat... And then me fighting even in a different weight division is probably worse for me but if I go out there and do that I still feel like that comes into play for my legacy in the whole featherweight division... It makes so much sense in a way [because] there's so many positives out of the whole thing."
Check out the interview below:
Alexander Volkanovski must get through Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273 before pursuing Conor McGregor megafight
Alexander Volkanovski is currently scheduled to defend his title against 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung in the headliner of UFC 273. The pay-per-view event will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 9.
Volkanovski was initially set to fight Max Holloway but 'Blessed' later pulled out, allowing Jung to replace him. In his last fight, the Aussie champ defeated Brian Ortega via unanimous decision at UFC 266.
Volkanovski is currently on a 10-fight winning streak in the UFC and is yet to be defeated inside the octagon. His opponent, on the other hand, has won three out of his last five fights. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top when the champ goes to war with 'The Korean Zombie'.