Former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, explained that teammate, Alexander Volkanovski will hold his own in the wrestling exchanges with Islam Makhachev.
Volkanovski is set to move up to lightweight to face newly crowned champion Makhachev, in the main event of UFC 284. It will be a tall order for the Australian with many fearing for his chances against the grappling skills of Makhachev.
However, his teammate, Adesanya, claims that Volkanovski’s skills and experience will guide him through the matchup.
“Volk used to be a fat guy. Like, a big boy, brawley, played rugby. When you walk around with that kind of body mass for years, you develop a different kind of muscle density,” Adesanya said while on the FLAGRANT podcast. “Even with Volk, I’ve tried to hold him down. I’m not the greatest wrestler, but even with my frame and leverage, it’s hard. He finds his way back up. (He’s) a crafty veteran. His inside leg kick, his jabs, his hand control; all that sh*t, he’s crafty.”
Adesanya has so much confidence in his friend, he claimed that he could bet the whole house on Volkanovski to come out victorious, stating he is just simply ‘different’
“Islam is great,” Adesanya continued. “These Dagi boys, they know what they’re doing… But I truly, gun to my head, could bet my whole house on him. Volk is just different.
“Volk is the kind of guy — even when he cuts weight, the amount he cuts, for him to have the cardio he has in the later rounds… it’s mind-blowing. The man’s different.” (H/T BloodyElbow)
Makhachev and Volkanovski will do battle on February 12 in Perth, Australia in what will be a fight between the UFC’s number one and number two pound-for-pound fighters.