If Islam Makhachev wants to underestimate Alexander Volkanovski, that’s music to the ears of the UFC featherweight champion.
Volkanovski and Makhachev face off Saturday night in a highly-anticipated champion vs. champion bout at UFC 284, which takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Makhachev is not only a heavy betting favorite to successfully defend his lightweight belt, he also carries a significant size advantage into the 155-pound bout. At 5-foot-10, Makhachev is four inches taller than Volkanovski and will likely be the much heavier man on fight night — a fact he’s consistently reminded Volkanovski of in the lead-up to the bout.
But this is nothing new for MMA’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. The challenge is what he loves.
“I’ve been short my whole life,” Volkanovski said recently on The MMA Hour. “Actually, I wasn’t short my whole life — when I was 12 years old, I was actually one of tall kids, but I just stopped growing then. Nah, my fight against Max [Holloway], was not the best. I lost against Zombie [Chan Sung Jung].. When I was middleweight and welterweight I was too short. I was short when I was a rugby league player, when I was playing in the front row — I was very short for that position I played, semi pro. Even the representative teams that I played for, I was always short.
“And that never mattered. It never mattered. People say I’m short and all of that, but I guarantee when they play me or when they’re in the octagon with me, or when they’re training with me, no one says I’m undersized. They’ll be ashamed of how I performed against them and how many times I kicked their arse.
“Whether [Makhachev] really feels like either, ‘This guy is just too small, he’s going to be weak,’ and all that type of stuff — he’s going to be in for a rude shock. He’s got an intelligent team that understands I’m not a pushover, and I believe he realizes this. But he does think that, he’s going to have a wicked surprise.”
Volkanovski, 34, may be a heavy betting underdog, but as he said, he’s no easy mark. He’s undefeated in MMA since 2013 and is a perfect 12-0 in the UFC — a run that includes four combined wins over former champions Holloway and Jose Aldo.
Volkanovski’s accolades crested in 2022 when he overtook Kamaru Usman to become the unanimous No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Now he’s seeking to become just the seventh simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history.
Volkanovski has his work cut out for him, though. Makhachev has been one of the UFC’s most dominant fighters since 2016 and rides an 11-fight win streak of his own.
” I’m the kind of person who will adapt to what is presented. He is a high-level grappler, high-level wrestler. Volkanovski stated, “I’ve got got to get in my head that it’s possible for me to be taken down.” Volkanovski said, “If I’m not taken down, then yeah, there is a good possibility I won’t be taken down.” My movement, my takedown defense is on point. But mentally, I need to prepare for that. I don’t want to sit there and tell told myself it ain’t going to happen — all of a sudden then you start panicking. No, I prepare myself for the worst every single time. Every time, no matter who I’m in the octagon with.
“With someone like Islam, I need to capitalize on the feet,” Volkanovski added. “I need to make stuff happen. You have to be concerned about the fact that someone has a slim chance of winning. And you can try to make it happen. Islam doesn’t have just a chance to win. He could lose a decision or win a submission if I give him a poor fight. Islam knows that there are more options to win. We know exactly where Islam wants it to go, and I also know how to capitalize. That’s why I’m going to be very dangerous on your feet. You’ll see that I really do want to harm him feet when you say capitalize.
“So I really do believe that I can get a finish, even though he is a great fighter, I have nothing but respect for him, but just where my head’s at right now and what I need to focus on, what I need to do, especially in certain positions, that’s why I feel like I can definitely hit the finish. But I’m mentally prepared for 25 minutes of hard work.”
Volkanovki’s hope is for UFC 284 to serve as the start of a busy year. He wants to get either three or four fights in for 2023, and he plans to stay active at both featherweight and lightweight once he shocks the world and upsets Makhachev to because a two-division UFC champion. Volkanovski said he needed extra time to bulk up and pack on some extra weight for the unique challenges Makhachev presents, but now he’s ready to bounce back and forth between the two divisions, starting with returning to featherweight to take on the winner of UFC 284’s co-main event: Josh Emmett vs. Yair Rodriguez for the interim title.
“I don’t think the person who’s holding the interim belt is going to want to wait too long, so I want to keep both divisions busy,” Volkanovski said. “I made a promise and I will do everything in my power to ensure that it happens. “I’m a man who keeps his word. I have always been that way. Without all of this, I would not be the person I am today. That’s just the type of guy I am.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/11/23588281/alexander-volkanovski-vows-very-dangerous-strategy-for-islam-makhachev-youre-going-to-see-me-really?rand=96749
