Alexander Volkanovski calls Jose Aldo featherweight GOAT ahead of UFC 301: ‘He’s how a champion should be’

Alexander Volkanovski hasn’t changed his mind on his choice for the greatest featherweight in UFC history.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] hasn’t changed his mind on who the greatest featherweight of all time is.

Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) defended his 145-pound title five times before losing it to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February. His resume includes wins over [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag], Max Holloway three times, and Brian Ortega.

But Volkanovski had high praise for “The King of Rio” and the way he carried himself throughout his six-year championship reign that began in the WEC.

“Obviously his technique, his skill is always going to be something that you’re going to appreciate, but him being such a respectful champion,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia. “Again, that’s how I like to be like. I think he’s morally correct, I think he’s just respectful. He’s how a champion should be, and that was something that I really did appreciate and made me want to be a great champion, too.”

Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) returns vs. Jonathan Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 301 (Pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+) bantamweight co-main event at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Volkanovski admitted Aldo’s UFC record seven title defenses at featherweight makes him the greatest in the history of the division.

“I can appreciate what Aldo’s done, you know what I mean,” Volkanovski said. “That’s for other people to decide but you know for me, if you’re going to ask me, I’m going to say Aldo because you know, he was a champion for a very long time.

“Obviously, people are going to look at competition and all that, but to be champion that long, things go wrong. You fight injured, there’s so many things that can go wrong and to be champion that long, it’s saying something. He was very dominant as champion, as well, so full respect to Aldo.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Alexander Volkanovski: Ilia Topuria ‘not going about things the right way’ as UFC champion

The way Ilia Topuria has been conducting himself as UFC champion is rubbing Alexander Volkanovski the wrong way.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] is confused by UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s current approach.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has rubbed Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) the wrong way with some of his recent comments – which includes a stipulation that Max Holloway’s BMF title be on the line if they fight.

Volkanovski is eager to run things back with Topuria after losing his title to him at UFC 298 but advises “El Matador” to just make up his mind on what’s next.

“Right now he’s saying no to everyone,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia. “That’s the problem. He’s saying no to Max Holloway, to Brian Ortega, to me, you name it. Not wanting to come to Australia, OK, but he’s saying no to everyone. He’s saying, ‘I don’t want to fight any of the contenders. … I want to fight Conor McGregor.’

“That just puts a sour taste in people’s mouths because when you hold the belt, there is a responsibility that comes with that, a pressure. You can’t just be saying, ‘Nah, nah, nah.’ That’s crazy. He’s not going about things the right way.”

Volkanovski, who defended his title five times as champion, thinks he likely spoiled people with the way he carried himself during his reign in comparison to Topuria.

“Obviously I don’t want to talk bad about the bloke, because he took his shot, won and now has to play the game, which I understand,” Volkanovski said. “But be a champion. People got used to how I acted as champion. Now you’ve got a guy, who knows when he wants to fight? Does he even want a fight soon? Probably not.

“But the UFC will likely make him. Maybe this is just his way of hyping things up, saying no to everyone and then bang, he signs for a fight. I just hope he makes better decisions because I don’t think he’s a bad kid. But now he’s calling out Conor McGregor? Or Islam Makhachev? Topuria has still got more to prove.”

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Ilia Topuria denies Joe Rogan’s claim he turned down Alexander Volkanovski rematch for UFC 305

Ilia Topuria rejects Joe Rogan’s notion that he turned down an offer to rematch Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 305 in Australia.

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] rejects the notion that he turned down a rematch with [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] at UFC 305 in Australia.

With the octagon headed back to Perth for a pay-per-view event on Aug. 18 and Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) not having a fight scheduled for his first featherweight title defense, longtime UFC commentator [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] recently stated that a rematch with Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) was presented to the champion.

“I don’t know who he wants to fight next,” Rogan said during a conversation with Max Holloway on a recent episode of the “JRE MME Show” podcast. “But I guess he feels like he’s the champ, he can call the shots. I know that he turned down the Perth one – 305, the Volkanovski rematch.”

Topuria defeated Volkanovski by second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February to become 145-pound champion. Given Volkanovski’s resume during his stint on top, many, including himself, believed an immediate rematch was in order. But with Volkanovski taking a second consecutive knockout loss in the fight after being defeated by Islam Makhachev in October, there was a belief Volkanovski should take a long layoff, which opened the door for another contender.

Holloway charged through that door at UFC 300 when he knocked out Justin Gaethje in spectacular fashion to claim the BMF title, and all signs point to a showdown with Topuria, which Volkanovski said he thinks “Blessed” will win with ease.

Topuria clearly caught wind of these narratives, evident by the fact that he issued a response Wednesday on social media, sternly denying Rogan’s claim and poking fun at Volkanovski for his prediction of a Holloway fight (via X and Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6bwmdgs1Fx/

Now it remains to be seen what comes next for Topuria. He’s insisted Holloway must put the BMF title on the line too when they meet for the featherweight strap and has once again emphasized it’s a non-negotiable term, otherwise he will push to defend against Brian Ortega instead.

Holloway was amused by Topuria’s latest comments, and issued a fiery reply (via X):

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Alexander Volkanovski confident Max Holloway makes it ‘look easy’ against UFC champ Ilia Topuria

Alexander Volkanovski, who is the only fighter to share the cage with both Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway, predicts the UFC champ vs. BMF champ fight.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] is the only fighter to ever share the cage with both [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], giving him unique insight on the looming matchup between UFC champ and BMF champ.

Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) owns three victories on his resume against Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) during his stint as UFC featherweight titleholder, while his lone encounter with Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) led to the end of his reign as champ, courtesy of a second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February.

Although Volkanovski expected an immediate rematch with Topuria after dropping the belt, it appears Holloway has overtaken his top contender spot after claiming the BMF strap with an all-time knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April. Even with Topuria doing some posturing over the idea of fighting Holloway, there are solid odds it will ultimately come together this year.

Common opponent Volkanovski isn’t thrilled about that idea, mainly because he thinks Holloway will win and thus diminish the stakes of a future rematch with Topuria.

“I believe Max can go out there and make that fight look easy,” Volkanovski told FOX Sports Australia. “Topuria is very dangerous, a great fighter, but I don’t think he’s as good as he thinks he is. And, of course, he caught me, right? So I can’t really say much.

“I need to show everyone. I know I can do it, too. And I’m also quite confident Max can too, which is why I didn’t want him fighting Topuria before I did.”

Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan recently claimed on an episode of the “JRE MMA Show” with Holloway as his guest that he heard Topuria declined a rematch offer against Volkanovski at UFC 305 in Perth on Aug. 18.

Volkanovski said the UFC didn’t contact him about the matchup, but he’s “not surprised” Topuria wasn’t keen. He expects to see Topuria down the line, though, and has no doubt the result would be different.

“I know I can do a much better job,” Volkanovski said. “I didn’t fight my fight, and he capitalized, so credit to him. But I know I can go out there and make that fight look easy.”

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Alexander Volkanovski: UFC 300 proved Max Holloway never lost it, has ‘always been that good’

Alexander Volkanovski wasn’t surprised to see Max Holloway beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] wasn’t surprised to see [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

Not only did Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) beat Gaethje to claim the BMF title Saturday, he knocked him out in an incredible last-second finish. Volkanovski predicted a Holloway win but admits he was surprised with the knockout finish.

“The biggest moment of the card obviously was Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “I told yous not to count Max Holloway out. The way people were talking about as if it was like these guys are on a whole different level, I just couldn’t believe it. Even the size difference.

“Yeah, I didn’t think that was the case at all, so I was quite surprised how people were talking. Obviously, I didn’t expect him to get a knockout. That was a surprise to me, but I expected him to be in a good chance to be very competitive or even win. I picked him to win.”

Volkanovski never understood those who started to doubt Holloway after he lost to him in three title fights. Outside of his losses to Volkanovski, Holloway had not lost at featherweight since 2013.

“He was up four rounds to one with one second to go,” Volkanovski said. “That’s when he got the finish, but 10-15 seconds out, he’s like, ‘Let’s do it.’ Iconic Max Holloway moment with Justin Gaethje when he’s already four rounds up. Talk about BMF, mate. Kudos to him for that. That was pretty incredible. Then they just go for it.

“Max was even winning them exchanges and then just goes boom, lights out. Did not see that coming. … Again, I was expecting him to win but not like that. Absolutely blown away. Incredible performance. Like I said, Max has never lost it. A lot of people, even with our fights, after the last one, as if Max was done and dusted. I’m like, no, that’s not the case at all. He’s always been that good, and you’ve just seen that once again. Credit to Max Holloway.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Why Alexander Volkanovski gives Max Holloway a ‘massive chance’ to beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 300

Alexander Volkanovski had a hard time picking between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway but eventually settled on a winner at UFC 300.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] had a hard time picking between [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] and [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag], but he eventually settled on a winner.

Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) will be a slight underdog when he challenges BMF champion Gaethje (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in a lightweight bout Saturday at UFC 300 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Volkanovski initially picked Gaethje, but he’s seen a change in fellow former featherweight champ Holloway’s approach after competing against him three times.

“The way some people were talking, I thought maybe they were going to have – you can’t have bad odds on Max Holloway,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “A lot of people are sitting there like, ‘Justin Gaethje, rah, rah, rah.’ Did we forget Max Holloway’s chin? Have we seen him in his last fights? The guy knows how to mix it up. He used to be more hittable back in the day.

“He was always very, very high level, really good at setting up traps but willing to be in front of you and eat some while he’s doing so. Now he’s got a lot more angles. He uses so many more tools. Man, this is going to be an exciting fight. I just don’t think people are expecting Max to come forward and do how he used to be, and Gaethje to just throw some massive bombs. Like them big leg kicks being there. You’re probably going to see muay Thai Max again.”

Volkanovski doesn’t understand why Holloway is being counted out. The former featherweight champion has never been knocked out – even when he went five rounds with Dustin Poirier in their interim lightweight title fight at UFC 236.

“Max is the underdog here, and I think a lot of people are counting him out, and I don’t know why,” Volkanovski said. “I think it’s purely because he’s moving up against a powerful dude like Justin Gaethje, which is fair enough. We can’t forget Max Holloway’s chin. I think it’s just an undefeated chin. It really is (laughs). I’ve tried cracking it. Many people have tried cracking it, and thinking is Justin Gaethje going to be the guy to finish it, I don’t know. It’s hard for me. I’ve said that a few times, and it just doesn’t happen. We’ve seen him be cracked. A couple of Max Holloway’s last fights, he didn’t get hit as much, but he still got cracked with some big shots, ate them like a champ.

“Gaethje’s been five rounds, and we’ve seen him do well in the later rounds. He can go five rounds, but the pace that Max Holloway’s still going to bring, because he’s still going to be there to be hit. Max Holloway will still be there to be hit or to make it a fight. We know Gaethje likes to throw bombs. Can he zap a bit of the life out of Gaethje? I think so. You know Max ain’t going to tire. Five rounder. Look, man, I have to lean towards Gaethje, but man, I thought the odds were going to be worse. The way people are talking, acting like Max doesn’t stand a chance, you’re wrong. He has a massive chance in this.”

Volkanovski decided to settle on Holloway for his final prediction.

“I’m going to say, for my pick, will be Max Holloway,” Volkanovski concluded.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

UFC champ Islam Makhachev blames Alexander Volkanovski’s team for knockout loss to Ilia Topuria

Islam Makhachev says Alexander Volkanovski’s team should’ve never allowed him to make a quick turnaround vs. Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] says [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s team should’ve never allowed him to make a quick turnaround vs. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Less than four months after getting knocked out by lightweight champion Makhachev at UFC 294 this past October, Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) defended his featherweight title against unbeaten Topuria at UFC 298 in February.

Unfortunately for Volkanovski, he was knocked out in Round 2, and now finds himself sitting on back-to-back brutal stoppage losses. Makhachev points the finger at Volkanovski’s team for letting him compete again so soon.

“Of course (he returned too soon),” Makhachev told MMA Junkie of Volkanovski. “Alex is a good fighter, he is a warrior, everybody knows. He can fight everyday. But I always said that his team is very bad because this mistake is not Alex’s mistake. It’s a mistake the team made because the team has to sit with him and tell him, ‘Hey, it’s too soon.’

“He had a very bad, tough knockout in his last fight. He has to rest for a minimum of three or four months without training, nothing. You have to do some recovery and just wait. He go to fight again too soon. It was a big mistake. He is a warrior, he can come back, but still, he needs some time. He has to listen to his body and give some time for recovery.”

Volkanovski now plans on taking some time off. He is campaigning for an immediate rematch against Topuria at the end of the year, and is even willing to go to Spain to fight him.

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Alexander Volkanovski on Sean O’Malley calling out Ilia Topuria at UFC 299: ‘It better be soon because I’m next’

If Sean O’Malley wants to fight Ilia Topuria, Alexander Volkanovski says he better do it quickly.

If [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] wants to fight [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] says he better do it quickly.

Bantamweight champion O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) called out featherweight champion Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) after putting on a lopsided beating on Marlon Vera Saturday in the UFC 299 headliner.

With Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) looking to get an immediate rematch against Topuria, who dethroned him by knockout at UFC 298, the former champion warns O’Malley that he won’t get his wish if he waits.

“He called out Ilia,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “Look, unless you fight Ilia anytime soon, if yous can do a turnaround anytime soon, I guess you can have him. I’m having a little rest, but I’m fighting him later in the year, or whenever that is.

“I know I’m fighting for the title next. So if you are going to try to squeeze that in, it better be soon because I’m next. There’s your little window, if you want it. Sean, congratulations on your victory, impressive.”

A quick turnaround would be highly unlikely for O’Malley, who was sporting a cast on his hand and foot after the fight. UFC CEO Dana White dismissed the idea of O’Malley vs. Topuria next, and so did Topuria himself, who suggested O’Malley fight Merab Dvalishvili first.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Alexander Volkanovski: Sean O’Malley’s ‘striking is going to be too much,’ finishes Marlon Vera by TKO at UFC 299

Alexander Volkanovski sees Sean O’Malley avenging his loss to Marlon Vera by finish in Saturday’s UFC 299 headliner.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] sees [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] avenging his loss to [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] by finish.

Bantamweight champion O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) rematches Vera (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC) for his first title defense in Saturday’s UFC 299 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) main event at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Vera was able to finish O’Malley in their first fight in August 2020 after kicking him in his peroneal nerve and finishing him on the ground. However, former featherweight champion Volkanovski thinks O’Malley’s striking is far superior than Vera’s.

“Interesting fight,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “On paper and what I’ve seen, who do I lean towards? I lean towards Sean O’Malley, pretty comfortably I’d say that. They’ve already fought, so you’ve got to give that respect where ‘Chito’ has already beat him. Do I feel he can do the same things to Sean? I think that’s going to be hard. I know he’s already beat Sean, but I think Sean’s striking is high level.

“I think it’s pretty underrated. I think people know it’s good, but I don’t think people understand how good it is. His shot selections, his variety in strikes, angles, distance management, his eye. All of that is top-notch. Very, very high level. He’s still young, he’s still in his prime. He’s probably still finding his prime. It just depends now that he’s champion, is he still putting the hard yards in?”

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Not only does Volkanovski see O’Malley posing problems for Vera on the feet, but also on the ground. He predicts O’Malley is the one that gets the finish this time.

“I’m going to have to lean towards Sean O’Malley,” Volkanovski said. “I think his striking is going to be too much. I know ‘Chito’ is going to want to keep it standing. I think ‘Chito’ has to keep it standing. I think Sean O’Malley is even dangerous on the ground. I think he’s going to be hard to take down. I think Sean can give him problems even there. He can throw some nice submissions off his back, and he’s pretty creative there.

“I think it’s going to be a standup fight, which is exciting. You know ‘Chito’ is going to bring it. I just think the movement and that’s going to be too much. I think knowing how Sean O’Malley is going to look for the finish, he’s creative and he’s got a good eye. I think it’s going to be a finish for Sean O’Malley. It could be a submission, but I think it’s going to be a TKO because even if he hurts him and takes him to the ground, I can’t see him looking for a submission.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Ilia Topuria’s coach advises Alexander Volkanovski to take tuneup fight over rematch: ‘That would be the smartest thing’

UFC champ Ilia Topuria’s coach, Jorge Climent, thinks Alexander Volkanovski should reconsider his desire for an immediate rematch.

[autotag]Jorge Climent[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] should avoid taking an immediate rematch against his pupil, [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], at all costs.

Coach Climent, who coaches Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) along with brother Agustin Climent, thinks Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) should really consider taking a tuneup fight before trying to avenge his championship defeat to “El Matador.”

It’s not that Climent is looking to avoid the Australian or even just pursue other opportunities with Topuria. He genuinely thinks that it’s a bad idea for the 35-year-old to try to rematch Topuria right away given his current form.

“I do believe that Volkanovski deserves a rematch for everything he’s done in this sport, plus the short-notice fight he took,” Climent told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “However, if I were his team or his friend, I’d tell him, ‘Look, relax. Go get another fight to get back on your feet, go feel good again, win, and then we go after him.’ That would be the smartest thing he could do. And again, if I were his friend, that’s what I’d recommend him.”

Climent says it’s not a matter of deserving or not. He does believe Volkanovski should be granted a rematch should he want to exercise that option, but he just wouldn’t advise it.

Topuria knocked out Volkanovski to win the featherweight title last month at UFC 298. It was Volkanovski’s second straight KO loss after, four months prior, he was stopped by Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.

“Of course Volkanovski deserves it, but I would find it unfair,” Climent explained. “He’s coming off two defeats, and I don’t see him recovered enough to go for the immediate rematch. That’s why, if I were his friend, I’d tell him, ‘Take it easy, go do another fight, get your confidence back up, and we’ll do it again.'”

Either way, what’s fair is fair, and Climent is not ruling out an immediate rematch with Volkanovski for Topuria’s first title defense. At 145 pounds, he thinks it’s between Volkanovski or former UFC champion Max Holloway.

“I think Volkanovski and Holloway deserve it most,” Climent said. “After that, it’s pretty even among everyone else. I think those two are the ones that most deserve to fight for the title – Holloway and Volkanovski.”

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