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Alexander Volkanovski Lists His Top Five MMA GOATs with ‘Mighty Mouse’ At Number One

Alexander Volkanovski Lists His Top Five MMA GOATs with 'Mighty Mouse' At Number One Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson tops Alexander Volkanovski’s list of the top five greatest mixed martial artists of all time….

Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson tops Alexander Volkanovski’s list of the top five greatest mixed martial artists of all time.

During a recent Q&A session on YouTube to celebrate the end of 2024, Volkanovski fielded questions from fight fans with one of them asking ‘The Great’ who he sees as the best of the best.

“All right, let’s get into it. I’m going to say, Demetrious Johnson,” Volkanovski began.

“I’m going to have to throw Jon Jones in there,” he continued. “Everyone knows my take on, you know, the trouble outside of it, but I mean, he’s just been champ, he’s been at the top forever, you know what I mean? So you can’t not include him. I know a lot of people are always going to throw out those things—and I do myself—because, you know, I pride myself on trying to stay away from all that crap as well. But you can’t deny his skill. He’s definitely one of the greatest of all time, so you’re going to have to give Jon Jones that.

“So, Demetrius Johnson, Jon Jones… yeah, Georges St-Pierre has definitely got to be there.

Alexander volkanovski adds Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya to his MMA top five

Rounding out Volk’s list were inarguably the two best middleweight fighters in the history of the sport.

“And we’re running out of room! So, I said Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre… I’m going to have to throw Anderson Silva in there as well,” Volkanovski continued. “For me, when it comes to striking, I honestly think he’s the greatest striker the UFC’s ever seen.

So, um, I’m going to go Israel Adesanya as well. Am I missing someone? Who is it? Like, oh, you’ve got your options—you obviously have so many great champions. But that’s it! I said five. There you go. Let us know your five! Let us know what you think of my five. Locked it in. Locked it in!”

Do you agree with Alexander Volkanovski’s top five? If not, who should be added? Or more importantly, who should be removed?

Khabib Nurmagomedov Is Going to Be a Ball Of Nerves Come UFC 311: ‘He’s going to Be a Wreck’ Says Coach

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to have his work cut out for him on January 18. While ‘The…

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to have his work cut out for him on January 18.

While ‘The Eagle’ no longer competes inside the Octagon, fight fans can regularly find him cornering the likes of reigning lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev and his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, both of whom will be competing on the same night when the UFC returns to pay-per-view in 2025.

Emanating from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the main event of the evening will see Makhachev put his 155-pound crown on the line against the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

Just before Makhachev enters the cage for his fourth lightweight title defense, Umar Nurmagomedov will challenge bantamweight titleholder Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event. It will be the Georgian’s first time defending the 135-pound belt since claiming it via a dominant decision win over ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley in September.

During a recent interview with The Schmo, longtime Khabib Nurmagomedov coach and American Kickboxing Academy founder Javier Mendez expects it to be a mentally draining weekend for ‘The Eagle’ as he looks to lead both his fighters to the biggest wins of their respective careers.

“It’s going to be really busy for him mentally because he has to deal with, you know, two of his brothers that he loves to death—one is his cousin, and one is Islam, who he’s been training with since childhood,” Mendez said. “So for him, it’s going to be a ball of nerves.

“For me, it’s not that bad at all because I’m used to it now. I can go right through it—no problem. He’s going to be a wreck, though.”

Mendez says everything is ‘on point’ ahead of makhachev and nurmagomedov’s big night

Offering some insight into Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s training ahead of UFC 311, Mendez added:

“But things are great, things are fantastic. The training is fantastic. We’re on point, we’re on point. We have three more weeks of hard training, and then we’re off to Los Angeles. We’ll see what happens.”

While Makhachev is already acquainted with the bright lights of a five-round title fight, it will be an unfamiliar feeling for Umar Nurmagomedov. The undefeated star secured his first shot at UFC gold with an impressive showing against Cory Sandhagen over the summer. The win jumped him all the way up to the No. 2 spot in the rankings, setting the stage for his showdown with ‘The Machine.’

Combined, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov have won their last 32 fights.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Is Going to Be a Ball Of Nerves Come UFC 311: ‘He’s going to Be a Wreck’ Says Coach

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to have his work cut out for him on January 18. While ‘The…

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to have his work cut out for him on January 18.

Emanating from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, the main event of the evening will see Makhachev put his 155-pound crown on the line against the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

“It’s going to be really busy for him mentally because he has to deal with, you know, two of his brothers that he loves to death—one is his cousin, and one is Islam, who he’s been training with since childhood,” Mendez said. “So for him, it’s going to be a ball of nerves.

“For me, it’s not that bad at all because I’m used to it now. I can go right through it—no problem. He’s going to be a wreck, though.”

Mendez says everything is ‘on point’ ahead of makhachev and nurmagomedov’s big night

Offering some insight into Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s training ahead of UFC 311, Mendez added:

“But things are great, things are fantastic. The training is fantastic. We’re on point, we’re on point. We have three more weeks of hard training, and then we’re off to Los Angeles. We’ll see what happens.”

Combined, Makhachev and Nurmagomedov have won their last 32 fights.

Could Islam Makhachev Become The First Three-Weight Champion? ‘Definitely’ MMA Coach Explains

Is Islam Makhachev destined to become the first-ever three-weight UFC champion? Thus far, there have only been nine fighters…

Is Islam Makhachev destined to become the first-ever three-weight UFC champion?

Thus far, there have only been nine fighters in the promotion’s 30+ year history who have captured gold in two different divisions: Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Georges St-Pierre, Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo, Amanda Nunes, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, and Alex Pereira.

And while only four of them held their two belts simultaneously, none of them ever went on to capture a third world title.

But if there’s one man who can do it, it’s reigning lightweight king Islam Makhachev. At least, that’s what legendary MMA coach Javier Mendez thinks.

“Yeah, I would say he has that potential,” Mendez told The Schmo. “He definitely does—100%. He has the ability, the mindset, and the work ethic. He can definitely do that if that’s his desire and the UFC allows him to go there. So yes, I can see that happening.”

Mendez is quite familiar with Makhachev’s skills inside the cage having worked with him and his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, for many years at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.

Mendez believes Islam makhachev would have no issues moving up to middleweight

If Makhachev truly wants to etch his name in the history books as the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion, his next task will likely be to take the welterweight title, though some believe Makhachev would have no issue skipping the next weight class up and going straight to middleweight.

“I 100 percent feel Islam can do that if that’s what he wanted to do,” Mendez said when asked about Makhachev’s potential move to 185. “But, it’s what he wants to do that will happen. Not his ability. His ability, I mean, come on. I see it in the gym, guys. I see it, so I know how good this guy is. So, yeah, 185 is not gonna be an issue for him. It’s a matter of whether he wants to.

“When he comes in training camp he’s always walking around 179, 180,” Mendez said. “So, obviously, if he ever went to middleweight he’d have to put on some muscle. But, not saying he can’t and not saying he won’t or he doesn’t want it. I don’t know, we’ve never discussed it” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Before the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ can concern himself with challenging for another title, he’ll have to get past the division’s top-ranked contender, Arman Tsarukyan. Akhalkalakets’ earned the right to be next in line with back-to-back wins against Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira, extending his unbeaten streak to four.

Makhachev and Tsarukyan will meet in the UFC 311 headliner on January 18 when the promotion heads to the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles for the first pay-per-view of 2025.

Could Islam Makhachev Become The First Three-Weight Champion? ‘Definitely’ MMA Coach Explains

Is Islam Makhachev destined to become the first-ever three-weight UFC champion? Thus far, there have only been nine fighters…

Is Islam Makhachev destined to become the first-ever three-weight UFC champion?

And while only four of them held their two belts simultaneously, none of them ever went on to capture a third world title.

But if there’s one man who can do it, it’s reigning lightweight king Islam Makhachev. At least, that’s what legendary MMA coach Javier Mendez thinks.

“Yeah, I would say he has that potential,” Mendez told The Schmo. “He definitely does—100%. He has the ability, the mindset, and the work ethic. He can definitely do that if that’s his desire and the UFC allows him to go there. So yes, I can see that happening.”

Mendez believes Islam makhachev would have no issues moving up to middleweight

“I 100 percent feel Islam can do that if that’s what he wanted to do,” Mendez said when asked about Makhachev’s potential move to 185. “But, it’s what he wants to do that will happen. Not his ability. His ability, I mean, come on. I see it in the gym, guys. I see it, so I know how good this guy is. So, yeah, 185 is not gonna be an issue for him. It’s a matter of whether he wants to.

“When he comes in training camp he’s always walking around 179, 180,” Mendez said. “So, obviously, if he ever went to middleweight he’d have to put on some muscle. But, not saying he can’t and not saying he won’t or he doesn’t want it. I don’t know, we’ve never discussed it” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Makhachev and Tsarukyan will meet in the UFC 311 headliner on January 18 when the promotion heads to the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles for the first pay-per-view of 2025.

Alex Pereira Celebrates The Holidays By Knocking Out His Sons

If Alex Pereira ever gets tired of stacking bodies inside the Octagon, he could always carve out a career…

If Alex Pereira ever gets tired of stacking bodies inside the Octagon, he could always carve out a career as a professional pillow fighter.

And yes, that is a real thing.

Over the last four years, ‘Poatan’ has dominated the MMA scene, going from a relative unknown to a two-division UFC champion and becoming one of the sport’s most popular competitors.

After claiming the middleweight title in 2022, Pereira made the move to light heavyweight where he currently reigns as the king of 205. Along the way, he’s earned victories over a slew of former titleholders including Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, and Jamahall Hill.

In October, he successfully defended his light heavyweight crown for the third time in 2024, finishing Khalil Rountree in the fourth round of their UFC 307 headliner in Salt Lake City — a win that solidified him as LowKick MMA’s Fighter of the Year.

Alex Pereira trades in his four-ounce gloves for a pillow

With no return to the Octagon currently scheduled, Pereira was free to sit back, relax, and celebrate the holidays with his family. Of course, Pereira’s version of “family time” probably isn’t the same as everyone else’s.

By all accounts, Alex Pereira’s next opponent inside the Octagon should be Magomed Ankalaev, the light heavyweight division’s top-ranked contender. The Dagestani is riding a 12-fight unbeaten streak dating back more than six years with his most recent coming against Aleksandar Raki? at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.

Still, Pereira has cast some doubt that Ankalaev will be next leading many fight fans to ponder the question; if not the Russian, then who?