For all intents and purposes, Alexander Volkanovski is set to get the winner of the upcoming Featherweight title fight between division champion, Max Holloway, and Frankie Edgar, which is set to go down at UFC 240 on July 27, 2019 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
But “The Hulk” may get a title fight sooner than expected, as he took to social media to reveal that he is staying on weight to be a backup should anything happen to either “Blessed” or “The Answer” in the lead-up to the event.
“Staying fit, staying on weight and staying ready!! I wish @BlessedMMA and @FrankieEdgar good health but I’ll be on standby to save the #UFC240 headliner if need be,” wrote Alex on Twitter.
While it isn’t known if Alex is doing it out of his own will or if UFC is paying him to do so, it’s smart move nonetheless. That’s because two previous proposed title fights between Max and Edgar have both been scratched due to injury.
Indeed, Edgar was forced out of their first fight at UFC 218, which lead to a rematch between Holloway and Jose Aldo, which Max won. When the fight was re-booked for UFC 222 a few months later, it was Holloway who was forced out with an injury. Edgar went on to face Brian Ortega in the main event and suffered the first knockout loss of his MMA career (see it).
After Holloway came up short in his bid to become champ-champ at UFC 236 earlier this year, the promotion opted to once again book a fight between he and Frankie, much to the chagrin of Volkanovski, who had just defeated Aldo to score his seventh straight win inside the Octagon.