UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski thinks he’d give lightweight title holder Khabib Nurmagomedov a run for his money.
Volkanovski and Nurmagomedov are on different paths, at least in the immediate future. “The Great” is set to put his featherweight gold on the line against Max Holloway in a rematch on July 11. As for Nurmagomedov, he’s expected to meet interim title holder Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout this September.
Alex Volkanovski Thinks He’d Give Khabib Nurmagomedov Problems
James Lynch of theScoreMMA was able to speak to Volkanovski. The 145-pound ruler expressed his belief that he could prove himself to be a viable lightweight against Nurmagomedov.
“Khabib is one of the GOATs as well. Nothing but respect for the dude,” Volkanovski said. “But I’m very, very hard to hold down. I’ve obviously got the brains. I’ve got the cardio. I’m a freak when it comes to holding on the ground; it’s just almost impossible holding me on the ground. Nothing but respect to all the fighters that are in the UFC, but every single one of us wants to prove something. And you know, eventually, I want to prove myself in that lightweight division too.”
Volkanovski did make it clear that right now he’s focused on Holloway. Back in Dec. 2019, Volkanovski turned in perhaps the best performance of his pro MMA career against Holloway. He earned the unanimous decision win to capture the UFC featherweight championship. In the rematch, Volkanovski hopes to leave no doubt as to who the better featherweight is.
Nurmagomedov has a perfect pro MMA record of 28-0. The 155-pound kingpin has beaten the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Rafael dos Anjos to name a few. He hopes to continue leaving a legacy in the sport of MMA, and adding Gaethje to his list of victims would be a huge feather in his cap.
