Alex Volkanovski News

Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski
Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovksi claims Islam Makhachev was “feeling a little frail” during their UFC 284 faceoff

Susan Cox - February 10, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski is claiming Islam Makhachev was ‘feeling a little frail’ during their UFC 284 press conference face-off. UFC 284 takes place tomorrow, Saturday February 11th at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Alex Volkanovski, Chan Sung Jung, Korean Zombie
Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski doubts Islam Makhachev will actually look for KO win: "Him coming looking for a knockout, that’s an unnecessary risk"

Cole Shelton - February 9, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski isn’t sure Islam Makhachev will actually strike with him. Volkanovski is set to move up to lightweight to fight for the title against Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 284. In the lead-up to the scrap, Makhachev has been critical of Volkanovski’s wrestling, while also saying he is gunning for the KO.

Alexander Volkanovski, Alex Volkanovski, Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Max Holloway
Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski's coach believes Islam Makhachev is only "good at holding people down," says Ortega is more dangerous

Cole Shelton - February 9, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski’s grappling coach Craig Jones believes Brian Ortega is more dangerous on the ground than Islam Makhachev will be. Volkanovski defended his featherweight strap back in September of 2021 against Ortega in a fight he had to get out of multiple submission attempts. With that, Jones has confidence that Volkanovski will be able to handle Makhachev on the ground.

UFC

VIDEO | Mark Zuckerberg spars with Alexander Volkanovski in Meta ad ahead of UFC 284

Josh Evanoff - February 9, 2023

Ahead of UFC 284, Mark Zuckerberg has sent a sign of support to Alexander Volkanovski. ‘The Great’ has been out of action since his trilogy bout with Max Holloway last July. In that outing, Volkanovski dominated en route to a lopsided unanimous decision victory. In the process, he closed the book on his series with ‘Blessed’, winning all three fights.

Alexander Volkanovski
Conor McGregor

Alexander Volkanovksi discusses the potential of fighting Conor McGregor after UFC 284: “Its good to look at because I plan on taking that lightweight belt”

Susan Cox - February 9, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski is discussing the potential of fighting Conor McGregor after UFC 284. UFC 284 takes place this coming weekend, Saturday, February 11th at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski
Exclusive MMA Interviews

UFC 284 | Pro fighters make their picks for Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski title fight

Cole Shelton - February 8, 2023

In the main event of UFC 284, Islam Makhachev looks to defend his lightweight title for the first time against featherweight champ, Alexander Volkanovski. Heading into the fight, Makhachev is a -400 favorite while the Aussie is a +285 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Makhachev winning due to his size and strength but some do think Volkanovski can pull off the upset.

Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski reveals plans to trash talk Islam Makhachev while in the Octagon at UFC 284: “I love seeing people's faces freak out like that”

Harry Kettle - February 8, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski plans on trying to get into Islam Makhachev’s head when they battle at UFC 284 this weekend. At UFC 284 in Australia, Alexander Volkanovski will attempt to make history. He will try and become a two-weight UFC champion, cementing his place as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport in the process.

Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev plans to bring Alexander Volkanovski into "the deep ocean" and "finish him there" at UFC 284

Cole Shelton - February 7, 2023

Islam Makhachev plans to drag Alexander Volkanovski into the deep waters at UFC 284 en route to a finish. Makhachev is set for his first title defense in the main event of UFC 284 opposite the featherweight champ in Volkanovski. It’s a highly-anticipated fight and Makhachev has made it clear that he feels like he is going to dominate. With that said, the reigning 155lbs champion doesn’t believe the contest will end early.

Alexander Volkanovski
UFC

Alexander Volkanovski questions Islam Makhachev's striking ahead of UFC 284: "He's got people around him saying he can strike. We'll see."

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t think Islam Makhachev’s striking is as good as many people think it is. Volkanovski is set to challenge Makhachev for the lightweight title in the main event of UFC 284 in a massive fight for both men’s legacies. Although Volkanovski is moving up in weight and is the betting underdog, he has confidence in his skills that he will get his hand raised, in large part due to him believing he has the striking advantage. However, Makhachev has made it clear he is gunning for the KO.

Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev says Australia doesn't have wrestling, Alexander Volkanovski fires back: "I was actually the national champion"

Cole Shelton - February 3, 2023

Islam Makhachev doesn’t think Alexander Volkanovski will be able to keep up with his wrestling. In the main event of UFC 284, Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title for the first time in Australia against Volkanovski. It’s an intriguing matchup but ahead of the fight, Makhachev is confident in his skills as he doesn’t think highly of Volkanovski’s wrestling ability.

Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev expresses disappointment in the lack of promotion for his UFC 284 title fight with Alex Volkanovski

Harry Kettle - February 3, 2023

Islam Makhachev has expressed his concern at the lack of promotion for his UFC 284 main event against Alex Volkanovski. Next weekend in Australia, the UFC will host a fascinating main event clash between Islam Makhachev and Alex Volkanovski. The meeting will see the lightweight and featherweight champion collide for the strap at 155 pounds.

Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 284, UFC
Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski doesn't want the narrative of Islam Makhachev to change if he wins at UFC 284: "Just remember what you’re saying he is now"

Cole Shelton - February 2, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski wants people to remember how highly they thought of Islam Makhachev once UFC 284 is over and done. Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title for the first time in the main event of UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, against the featherweight champ in Volkanovski. It’s a massive fight as it’s pound-for-pound number one vs. number two, but many fans and analysts aren’t giving Volkanovski much of a chance.

UFC

Alex Volkanovski coach says 'The Great' is showing 'scary stuff' ahead of Islam Makhachev fight

Andrew Whitelaw - January 27, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev is about as high-level a fight as you’re ever going to get in mixed martial arts. There’s a reason the pair are ranked in the top 2 sports on the men’s pound-for-pound ranking list. Volkanovski has racked up an incredible winning streak of 22. Makhachev was won 11 in a row. These two absolute monsters will go toe-to-toe in the main event at UFC 284 in Perth. The Australian fighter has all but cleared out the featherweight division, and now he’ll have a chance to make history as the first man from Down Under to hold two UFC titles concurrently.

Alexander Volkanovski, Alex Volkanovski, Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Max Holloway
UFC

Coach Joe Lopez details UFC featherweight kingpin Alex Volkanovski submitting a heavyweight in sparring

Harry Kettle - January 27, 2023

Joe Lopez has taken a trip down memory lane to tell the story of Alex Volkanovski submitting a heavyweight in sparring. It’s been well-documented for a while now that Alex Volkanovski is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. The featherweight king has ruled over his division for a good few years now and at UFC 284, he’ll attempt to move up and conquer lightweight.

Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 284, UFC
Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski believes Islam Makhachev underestimating him heading into UFC 284: "That face quickly changes when I’m in the octagon"

Josh Evanoff - January 26, 2023

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski believes Islam Makhachev is underestimating him. ‘The Great’ has been out of action since his trilogy bout with Max Holloway last July. In that outing at UFC 276, Volkanovski dominated en route to a lopsided unanimous decision victory. In the process, closing the chapter on his rivalry with ‘Blessed’ at three victories to none.

Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev

Coach Javier Mendez doesn't expect Islam Makhachev to finish Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284

Lewis Simpson - January 6, 2023

Coach Javier Mendez doesn’t expect his student Islam Makhachev to run through Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. Makhachev achieved a lifelong dream of becoming the undisputed UFC lightweight champion at UFC 280 in October of last year. The 31-year-old submitted Charles Oliveira in the second round to attain the crown his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov once held.

Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, UFC 276
Max Holloway

Alexander Volkanovski believes Max Holloway still "beats most of the top guys" at featherweight: "I just went to another level"

Cole Shelton - January 3, 2023

Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t think Max Holloway has lost a step or gone downhill. Holloway was the UFC’s featherweight champ from June 2017 to December 2019 before losing the belt to Alexander Volkanovski by decision. The pair would have an immediate rematch, but once again  ‘Blessed’ wound up on the wrong end of the judges’ scorecards. After defeating Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez, Holloway got another crack at the Aussie but once again came up short in the trilogy.

Islam Makhachev, Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 284, UFC
Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen explains why Alex Volkanovski defeating Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 wouldn’t be that big of an upset: “How would that be shocking news?”

Harry Kettle - January 3, 2023

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has explained why Alex Volkanovski beating Islam Makhachev shouldn’t be seen as a big upset. At UFC 284, Alex Volkanovski will challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title. If he manages to pull off the win, he’ll become a two-weight UFC champion after already capturing the featherweight crown.