Aussie UFC superstar burns rival's brash claim

1 year ago 65

The taunts from UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev astir a expected deficiency of size aren’t apt to unsettle Alexander Volkanovski.

He’s worked arsenic a concreter, he’s played the rugged crippled of rugby league and helium grew up successful the working-class metropolis of Wollongong.

He tin support himself.

“That’s been happening everlastingly ... adjacent connected the footy field,” Volkanovski said of the taunts coming from his 31-year-old Russian rival.

“No one’s ever conscionable overpowered me.”

At 168 centimetres, featherweight titleholder Volkanovski volition springiness up 10 centimetres and 4 kilograms to Makhachev (23 wins, 1 loss) erstwhile helium moves up a part for the lightweight rubric fight, the main lawsuit of UFC 284 connected Sunday successful Perth.

With the presumption of champion pound-for-pound combatant connected the line, Volkanovski (25 wins, 1 loss) volition person a sold-out 13,000 assemblage close down him astatine an expected febrile RAC Arena.

But adjacent with that, Volkanovski is the underdog against the formidable wrestling and grappling prowess of Makhachev.

“He doesn’t instrumentality unnecessary risks. He doesn’t overcommit,” Volkanovski said of Makhachev, who has 11 submission victories successful his 23 vocation wins.

“He volition combat connected the backmost ft and hold for the close clip to shoot. His region crippled isn’t excessively bad. He’s calculated, superb astatine the basics. He’s a large fighter.”

The straight-shooting Makhachev insists that his superior size volition pb to a one-sided bout and defence of his lightweight belt.

“It’s different division. I’m going to bushed him," helium said. “I privation to sound him out. I cognize I’m the champion MMA combatant due to the fact that I person each the skills: striking, wrestling, grappling.”

But the 34-year-old Volkanovski, whose powerfulness and striking person fuelled his emergence successful mixed martial arts, scoffed astatine his opponent’s assured prediction.

“Knockout? That’s an unnecessary risk. He won’t beryllium doing that,” said Volkanovski, who has gorged connected other calories successful a bid to summation weight.

“If helium thinks I’m conscionable going to beryllium a anemic small featherweight, past he’s successful for a rude shock."

MMA successful Australia is starting to look from a niche base, its increasing popularity evident by the hundreds of fans who turned retired for nationalist workouts from the fighters up of the archetypal UFC lawsuit staged successful the state since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the different bouts connected the card, Josh Emmett volition beryllium taking connected Yair Rodriguez for the featherweight interim rubric loop and Parker Porter is against New Zealander Justin Tafa.

Volkanovski has go a precise recognisable sanction successful Australia, wherever he's the embodiment of the underdog who doggedly climbs the ranks.

“I don’t deliberation I was ever athletically talented ... I’ve ever been beardown but that’s it,” helium said. “Look wherever I’m astatine close present with the close mindset and enactment ethic. I’m showing radical what tin beryllium done.”

In this cauldron, though, there's small country for humble talk, adjacent for Volkanovski, who is connected a 22-fight winning streak and is known arsenic ‘The Great’ — a motion to Alexander the Great.

“I’m chasing to beryllium 1 of the top oregon the greatest. ‘Alexander the Great’ is bully but we’re going for ‘Alexander the Greatest’,” helium said. "People person counted maine retired but I’m going to daze the satellite connected Sunday and I can’t hold to bash it.”

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