Israel Adesanya explains why he believes Alexander Volkanovski is “the greatest fighter of all time”

Israel Adesanya believes Alexander Volkanovski has cemented himself as the GOAT.

Volkanovski is the UFC’s current featherweight champion and is undefeated in the weight class. He has only two career losses on his record, one which came on the regional scene at welterweight and the other at 155lbs to Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title. However, that fight was close and some thought Volkanovski did enough to get the win.

Ahead of UFC 293, as Israel Adesanya defends his middleweight title against Sean Strickland, he was asked about where he ranks among the all-time greats. According to Adesanya, he says he doesn’t care about where he ranks but says he feels like Volkanovski is the greatest of all time anyway.

“I was chasing that, I was chasing the greatest of all time and I still think I’m one of the greatest of all time, but I put Alex Volkanovski as the greatest of all time in my eyes,” Adesanya said at UFC 293 media day. “I see the work he does, he’s my buddy, I love the way he fights and he’s one of my favorite fighters in history.”

Adesanya believes he’ll “be the best” when his career is over

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Although Israel Adesanya says he believes Alexander Volkanovski is the GOAT right now, ‘The Last Stylebender’ does hope when his career is over he can be considered the best ever. He knows he is chasing Anderson Silva for the middleweight GOAT but knows after a few more title defenses he will be recognized as the GOAT.

“I know I’m the best, I know I’m the best and I’m not done yet, I’m still going. So, I know when it’s all said and done I’ll be the best,” Adesanya said.

Israel Adesanya is currently 24-2 as a pro and is 13-2 inside the Octagon. He has defended his middleweight title five times and holds notable wins over Robert Whittaker, twice, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Yoel Romero, and Jared Cannonier among others.