Alexander Volkanovski names the featherweight he would have loved to face in their prime
UFC featherweight Alexander Volkanovski names the featherweight fighter he would have loved to face in their prime.
Since debuting with the world’s leading mixed martial arts organization in 2016, Volkanovski quickly made a name for himself in the UFC. It took the Australian-born athlete just eight fights to get his hands on the UFC featherweight strap when he defeated Max Holloway at UFC 245 in 2019.
In reflection, Volkanovski’s resume is impressive as they come at 145 lbs with notable wins over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, and three wins over featherweight fan-favourite Max Holloway. Earlier this year, Volkanovski fell short in the slightest of margins in becoming a two-weight division UFC champion after losing to Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. The loss marked Volkanovski’s second career loss and first under the UFC’s banner.
Despite having a number of unforgettable accolades attached to his name and sharing the Octagon with legends of the sport, there is one fighter Volkanovski would have loved to face in their prime.
During an appearance on The MMA Fan Podcast, Volkanovski didn’t hesitate to reveal the fight he would have liked in the past.
UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski names dream featherweight fight
“It’s pretty easy for me in saying Conor McGregor because he was in featherweight. He was a featherweight. We’ve got to remember the champions I’ve beat. I’ve beat every other champion in the featherweight division. The only champion I haven’t fought in the featherweight division is Conor McGregor”.
Volkanovski knows a fight with McGregor would come with a significant financial gain, but for him, it’s more about legacy.
“Everyone’s going to talk about the money, and that’s why you only want that fight. Yeah, of course there’s money in it, the circus around it, the hype, all of that, but you talk about legacy, you know then I would have beaten every featherweight champion.”
McGregor’s featherweight rise changed the trajectory of the sport in many ways. In 2015, after taking out names like Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Diego Brandao, and Dennis Siver, McGregor secured the interim featherweight title against Chad Mendes at UFC 189. Five months later, he became the undisputed UFC featherweight champion following a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo.
The return of McGregor is expected to occur later in the year against Michael Chandler, with an announcement set to be made upon the launch of the new season of The Ultimate Fighter.
For Volkanovski, he is set to defend his featherweight strap against interim title holder Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 on July 8. If successful on getting through Rodriguez, Volkanovski aims to secure a rematch with Makhachev to hold two UFC world titles simultaneously.
How do you think a fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Conor McGregor would have played out at featherweight? Let us know in the comments!
