When Alexander 'The Hulk' Volkanovski went back and forth with former UFC fighter Jim Alers bringing up his superior record in comparison to Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo
Alexander Volkanovski once compared his MMA record to Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo during a heated Twitter exchange with former UFC fighter Jim Alers in 2016.
Volkanovski, who previously went under the nickname 'The Hulk', was involved in a social media back-and-forth with Alers. Both featherweights were campaigning for a fight, calling on Sean Shelby to book the matchup.
It all started when Alers dismissed the quality of opponents Volkanovski had faced in his career and expressed confidence in submitting the Australian within the first round.
See the Twitter exchange below:
@ShayWalshMMA @alexvolkanovski @seanshelby @ufc haha you're silly that's a first round sub win for me easily
@ShayWalshMMA @alexvolkanovski @seanshelby @ufc he fights to many scrubs to late in his career. He's not ready
@fightJim @ShayWalshMMA @seanshelby @ufc https://t.co/zJjTthlLZf
Alers also took aim at Volkanovski's last three challenges at the time, prompting 'The Great' to post a side-by-side comparison of his record and that of Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo at the same point in their careers.
@alexvolkanovski @ShayWalshMMA @seanshelby @ufc I'll leave this here Sean.21-15 his last 3 opponents records. Please give me this easy fight
@fightJim @ShayWalshMMA @seanshelby @ufc :) https://t.co/H5Ji0SgZwJ
While Volkanovski and Alers never crossed paths in their careers, Alers went on to suffer a split decision loss against Jason Knight months later in what marked his last promotional appearance. 'The Great' pursued his quest and became the undisputed featherweight champion, now sitting atop the UFC's P4P rankings.
Alexander Volkanovski on why he wants to beat Conor McGregor
Volkanovski has run through every featherweight put in front of him on his path to glory. The Australian even beat divisional legend Jose Aldo before his trio of wins over Max Holloway to solidify his place as arguably the best featherweight in UFC history.
Despite all the accolades, Alexander Volkanovski believes he needs to take out everyone who has held featherweight gold. That's his reasoning for pursuing a fight with former UFC double-champion Conor McGregor, who is known for his exploits in the 145-pound division.
Speaking to Submission Radio earlier this year, 'The Great' explained why he wants to face 'The Notorious':
"Let’s remember he [Conor McGregor] is the only other featherweight champion that I haven’t beat. So that’s something that when you talk about legacy. Even me fighting in a different weight division [against McGregor], if anything that’s probably worse for me. But if I go out there and do that, I still feel like that comes into play for my legacy and the whole featherweight division. I definitely would love that fight."
Watch Alexander Volkanovski's interview with Submission Radio below: