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Alexander Volkanovski coy on losing UFC pound for pound #1 spot to Jon Jones: ‘It’s a big deal’

Featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski recently lost his Pound-for-Pound number one ranking to newly crowned UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. After vacating his light heavyweight crown in 2020, ‘Bones’ spent three years away prepping for a bout at heavyweight. At UFC 285, Jones submitted the top-ranked Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes. Jon Jones adds […]

Featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski recently lost his Pound-for-Pound number one ranking to newly crowned UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

After vacating his light heavyweight crown in 2020, ‘Bones’ spent three years away prepping for a bout at heavyweight. At UFC 285, Jones submitted the top-ranked Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes. Jon Jones adds the UFC heavyweight world championship to his already impressive legacy.

Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski captured UFC featherweight gold in 2019. In his entire career, he has defeated notable opponents such as Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, ‘The Korean Zombie’ Jung Chan-sung, and Brian Ortega, among others.

Volkanovski was the pound-for-pound leader until the return of Jon Jones at UFC 285.

Alexander Volkanovski on Jon Jones

The UFC featherweight world champion Alexander Volkanovski spoke with Steve-O on YouTube about losing his P4P spot. The Australian fighter said:

“Everyone loves talking about it. It’s a big deal. I’ll be honest with you, [becoming] a champion was great, being pound-for-pound No. 1 [was greater], which Jon Jones took that from me. I don’t think with all of the [rankings], but the UFC, yes. It was just that one [fight in three years], but what he did, moving up — at least he moved up and showed that pound-for-pound comes into play.”

He continued:

“The body of work that we’ve done in the last three years, obviously, a lot of people are gonna be like, ‘Look what Alex has done in the last three years.’ You can get that, but at the same time, look at what Jon Jones has done as well. Can I really argue that? He’s gonna be one of the greatest of all time. For him to take that is like, ‘Damn it! What do you do?’” [Transcript courtesy of MMA Mania]

See the full video below:

Islam Makhachev complains of ‘Lack of recovery time’ ahead of UFC 284 headliner last month

Islam Makhachev came out on top in his first UFC lightweight championship defense last month. Capturing the title by submitting one of the promotion’s most prolific finishers last year, Makhachev aimed high for his first title defense. Accepting the challenge of reigning 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski, the Dagestani destroyer walked into enemy territory at UFC […]

Islam Makhachev came out on top in his first UFC lightweight championship defense last month.

Capturing the title by submitting one of the promotion’s most prolific finishers last year, Makhachev aimed high for his first title defense. Accepting the challenge of reigning 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski, the Dagestani destroyer walked into enemy territory at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. After 25 grueling minutes, he walked out with UFC gold still wrapped around his waist.

The fight not only brought together two world champions for an epic superfight, but it also represented the first time in promotional history that the No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter competed against the No. 2 ranked competitor. Volkanovski held the top spot going into the bout, but many expected him to surrender it to Makhachev after coming up short in his bid to become a two-division titleholder. However, that was not the case as ‘The Great’ maintained his No. 1 ranking, much to the chagrin of Islam Makhachev.

“The people expect an easy fight from me,” Makhachev told TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter. “Like how I take him down, smash him there, but many things in Australia is different. All fighters wake up early morning, they don’t give us time for recovery, but Volkanovski doesn’t need time for recovery. He doesn’t cut too much weight. That’s why I know all things from his side of Australia, weather and weight, I just went to Australia and beat the champion and I don’t care if they give me the place or not. I just have my belt.

“This is most important things for the fighter. Not just cut weight, you have to recover, but they don’t give time for the recovery.”

Makhachev’s comments regarding recovery time come amidst accusations that he had hired a nurse to administer an IV to aid in his recovery following the UFC 284 weigh-ins. Volkanovski’s City Kickboxing teammate Dan Hooker made the initial allegation on Twitter shortly after the event. Makhachev has vehemently denied the claim and has called for ‘The Hangman’ to face consequences for his statement.

While IV usage is not expressly prohibited, the USADA rules stipulate that intravenous infusions and injections are prohibited both in-competition and out-of-competition if the volume of the substance exceeds 100 milliliters within a 12-hour period.

1-on-1 with @MAKHACHEVMMA on a potential rematch with Volkanovski, who is next up at lightweight and the difficulties that he had fighting in Australia. pic.twitter.com/iPrzMDHNNZ

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 5, 2023

Islam Makhachev Hopes to Fight Beneil Dariush Later This Year

Despite walking out of RAC Arena with a unanimous decision victory, many fans and fighters believe Islam Makhachev should have lost his title that evening. The close nature of the contest has left both men open to a potential rematch.

“I just showed who’s the best in the world,” Makhachev said. “It was good experience for me. If a lot of people want to see the rematch then let’s do this. Why not? Let’s go. I am ready.”

Before they can sign on the dotted line for a rematch, the two warriors may need to address rising contenders in their respective divisions. Specifically, Alexander Volkanovski who has an interim featherweight champion to settle up with. Though a rematch between the two feels inevitable, Makhachev already has his next opponent in mind, should Makhachev vs. Volkanovski II end up on the back burner.

“I hope Beniel [Dariush] beats [Charles] Oliveira,” Makhachev revealed. “We gonna make some good fight because this guy is tough because he have good skills and it’s gonna be a huge fight for the fans. I prepared for this fight a couple years ago. He beat a good opponent (Mateusz Gamrot) in his last fight. That’s why I think if he beat Charles he’s gonna deserve [the shot].”

Currently ranked No. 4 in the division, Beneil Dariush is primed for his first UFC title opportunity. Riding an eight-fight win streak, Dariush is expected to step into the Octagon at UFC 288 on May 6 for a high-stakes matchup with former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, the winner likely securing an opportunity to challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound crown.

Transcription courtesy of MMA Fighting

Alexander Volkanovski Refuses To Relinquish The #1 Pound-For-Pound Spot To Jon Jones Ahead Of UFC 285

Ahead of this weekend’s Jon Jones-headlined pay-per-view, UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski is keeping a tight grip on his pound-for-pound crown. On Saturday, Jones will make his first walk to the Octagon since a successful defense of the light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 in 2020. Soon after, “Bones” vacated the gold…

Continue Reading Alexander Volkanovski Refuses To Relinquish The #1 Pound-For-Pound Spot To Jon Jones Ahead Of UFC 285 at MMA News.

Jon Jones Cracks Up Alexander Volkanovski, Robert Whittaker With ‘D*ck Pill’ Joke Ahead Of UFC 285

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones had Aussie UFC stars Alexander Volkanovski and Robert Whittaker in stitches. Jones has been making the media rounds ahead of his long-awaited UFC return this weekend. At UFC 285, ‘Bones’ main-events against No.1-ranked heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane. It’s been three years since we last saw Jones compete in…

Continue Reading Jon Jones Cracks Up Alexander Volkanovski, Robert Whittaker With ‘D*ck Pill’ Joke Ahead Of UFC 285 at MMA News.

Alexander Volkanovski breaks down Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso: “Valentina’s my girl. She’s the GOAT, mate.”

UFC featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski is confident that Valentina Shevchenko can get a victory over Alexa Grasso at UFC 285. The flyweight throne will be on the line for the co-main event of the evening. Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski has a few notes, though, that he believes would help ‘Bullet‘ Shevchenko. Volkanovski is highly familiar […]

Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski has a few notes, though, that he believes would help ‘Bullet‘ Shevchenko. Volkanovski is highly familiar with the Kyrgyzstan-born fighters game as the two trained alongside one another at the Tiger Muay Thai gym in Thailand.

Alexander Volkanovski and his UFC 285 notes for Valentina Shevchenko

On his own YouTube channel, Volkanosvki explained:

“Valentina’s my girl. She’s the GOAT, mate. She’s good. I used to train with her a while ago back in Thailand, and I was telling everyone back then, ‘Watch this girl, ’cause she’s gonna go heaps far.’ We knew how good of a striker she was, and I knew her Muay Thai clinches, and I knew her grappling and wrestling wasn’t too bad as well.

Regarding some adversity in her previous match, Australia’s Volkanosvki is confident she’s patched the issues. He added:

“Her last fight, she had to go through some adversity with the grappling. But I guarantee you Pavel (Fedotov), her coach, has worked on that. I don’t think Alexa has much for her. Obviously, I’m always gonna be bias, but I don’t think it’s bias because I know her. She’s legit. She’s the champ.”

Volkanosvki is hoping to see more aggression from Valentina Shevchenko, he continued:

“She’s more of a counter-fighter… She’s the type of fighter, because she’s so good and got such a good eye, I feel like she can probably do a little more offensively. Like, I feel like she could make the first move more. She’s usually a counter-fighter. She’s really good at it and it’s been working.”

Lastly, on UFC 285’s Valentina Shevchenko, Volkanovski concluded:

“But, I feel she’s in a position where she can definitely dictate the fight wherever it goes, whether she wants to initiate the first combos or initiate the first action. I feel like she’s so good that she can do that.”

See the entire breakdown below:

Alexander Volkanovski Wants to See Change From Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski has called for flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko to adjust her usual approach this weekend. On Saturday, Shevchenko will take to the Octagon in pursuit of the latest ruby on her 125-pound championship belt. Since defeating Joanna J?drzejczyk to win the gold in 2018, “Bullet” has successfully brushed aside seven challenges…

Continue Reading Alexander Volkanovski Wants to See Change From Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 at MMA News.