Alexander Volkanovski gets stern warning from UFC 319 debutant: ‘I’m going to take him out’

Alexander Volkanovski is used to having a target on his back, and one UFC 319 fighter has fired a warning shot.

Volkanovski regained the UFC Featherweight Championship when he defeated Diego Lopes for the vacant gold back in April. “The Great” is now a two-time 145-pound titleholder, but his next bout hasn’t been made clear. While rumors of a title defense against Yair Rodriguez surfaced, the UFC has yet to make Volkanovski’s challenger official.

That could leave the door open for some fresh faces, such as Aaron Pico. The former Bellator and PFL star will face Lerone Murphy on the UFC 319 card on Saturday. It’ll be Pico’s UFC debut, and he told MMAFighting.com that his ultimate goal is to stop Volkanovski and become the top featherweight in the world.

“I feel I match up very well with Volkanovski, and I believe I can beat him,” Pico said. “The power that I have in my hands, I can get him, and he’s never fought a wrestler like me, But yeah, he, in my opinion, he is the greatest featherweight of all time. What he’s been able to do, to lose the title, then regain the title, I mean that takes a lot and especially [when] he’s getting up there in age, to be able to compete at a high level, I have a lot of respect for him.

“But at the end of the day, he has what I want, and it’s that belt. So if I have to take out Alexander Volkanovski, and I get the opportunity to do it, I’m going to take him out.”

Ahead of Saturday’s event, Pico is a slight betting favorite over the unbeaten Murphy. Despite setbacks during his time with Bellator, Pico remains a highly touted fighter who some believe has championship qualities. Murphy figures to be quite the test for Pico to see what level he’s on under the UFC banner.