Eugene Bareman believes Alexander Volkanovski cemented himself as the best fighter in the world at UFC 276, regardless of weight class.
Volkanovski put in an impressive performance over the weekend in his three-round bout against Max Holloway. The former champion was knocked out in five rounds. The performance was so good that even Volkanovski’s own coaches were not anticipating that level of dominance, and now, head coach Eugene Bareman believes “The Great” has cemented himself as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
“Oh man, I’m lost for words, man,” Bareman told Submission Radio. It’s like it was just the… team, Joe, Alex and the coaches. We talked about masterclasses, how to cement, strengthen each round, and be convincing. S***, I didn’t know he’d be that convincing. That was something I did not know. As much as I’ve gotten to know Alex over the years, the guy could still have a performance like that and still leave me gob-smacked. I’m like, wow. Just when you think he’s good and he’s at his best, he finds another level. And just, what a masterclass. Like, respectfully, if that’s not the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, then I don’t know who is.”
That’s high praise from a man who also coaches Israel Adesanya, the No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, who also won dominantly on Saturday, taking a similarly wide unanimous decision win over Jared Cannonier. Bareman’s beliefs are not unique. Holloway and many others agree with him. This is a drastic change from the days when there were still MMA fans that believed Holloway was the true featherweight champion. Bareman says this because Volkanovski cannot be denied after last weekend.
“He’s the best on the planet,” Bareman said. “He was the best after the first fight with Max. Max was the best, and then we beat him. Then people didn’t believe him, and there were still doubters. The second fight was close but still we won. And then there was still some doubters. I was never in doubt. I knew Alex was the better fighter from the start. I didn’t think we had to have the second fight. To prove it, I didn’t believe we required the third fight. It’s not something that I care about, and it isn’t important to Alex, but it becomes important for Alex, and the team. Recognize what he is. He is the greatest featherweight fighter in the world. Right now, he’s the greatest pound-for–pound fighter in the entire world. And if you can’t see that, if you can’t see that, then I’m not gonna insult you, then you need to learn more about his sport and understand this sport better and just get into the sport more. But that’s what I would like for people to walk away from this performance with. That’s the best fighter on the planet at this very moment.”
Volkanovski currently is the No. 3-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, though that could change when the latest rankings are released next week.
