Daniel Cormier explains why he would have advised Alexander Volkanovski to “hold off” on accepting Islam Makhachev rematch at UFC 294

By Harry Kettle - October 20, 2023

Daniel Cormier has explained why he would’ve advised Alexander Volkanovski against a short notice meeting with Islam Makhachev.

Alex Volkanovski

This weekend at UFC 294, Alexander Volkanovski will attempt to do the unthinkable. With less than two weeks to prepare, he will step in and battle Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship. It will serve as the second time he’s done so following their collision at the start of the year, which ended in a decision win for Makhachev.

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Volkanovski, despite the short notice nature of the bout, seems pretty confident in his ability to get the job done. Of course, whether or not that’s a misguided view remains to be seen, but if anyone can do it, it’d be ‘The Great’.

In the eyes of Daniel Cormier, though, this wasn’t the best move from the Australian sensation.

Cormier questions Volkanovski

“If I’m being completely honest, I would’ve said ‘Hold off, let’s get a fair opportunity’,” Cormier said of Volkanovski. “Let’s get a full camp, a chance to go out there and do what we did last time with all the information we gathered in the first fight. You can’t put all of that into play…even when he’s completely prepared for everybody else, he’s still kinda have his mind set on Islam.

“I believe that he knew that it was going to be Charles, he thinks Justin Gaethje is going to be next, so the opportunity may pass him by. But, I would’ve probably waited.”

Quotes via MMA News

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier’s assessment of the fight? What do you think is going to happen when Alexander Volkanovski battles Islam Makhachev this weekend? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Alex Volkanovski Daniel Cormier Islam Makhachev UFC