Alexander “The Great” might need to call himself Alexander “The Goat”. UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has declared his City Kickboxing teammate, UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski, the greatest featherweight of all time. It’s a huge claim, particularly considering that the first featherweight champ, Jose Aldo, boasted a decade-long winning streak, but it’s one “The Last Stylebender” stands by.
Adesanya made his bold claim on his YouTube channel, following Alexander Volkanovski’s fourth-round stoppage win over Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273. This marked Volkanovski’s third straight title defense, and according to Adesanya, it’s only the beginning.
Adesanya Declares Volkanovski the Featherweight GOAT
“Standout fight, Volkanovski, of course. The G.O.A.T. The featherweight G.O.A.T. Yeah, I’m hyped right now. I haven’t even had breakfast, I couldn’t eat because my adrenaline’s been running. Volkanovski, I said it was going to be bad. It was bad.”
Before the fight, Adesanya predicted a very one-sided affair, with a knockout win for Volkanovski all but inevitable.
“Alex gonna stop this guy quick. He’s [Zombie] going to get dropped, bro. He’s going to get f*cking dropped. I’m telling y’all. That’s why they call him the Zombie, eventually, Zombie’s gotta die.”
Ultimately, Alex Volkanovski did exactly that. He ruthlessly broke down the Zombie over the course of the fight, displaying his unparalleled fight IQ and clinical striking to eliminate the Zombie’s lingering threat. Eventually, referee Herb Dean called a stop to the fight when the Zombie, still standing, repeatedly ate Volkanovki’s powerful shots to his head.
Alexander Volkanovski might actually make a good case for greatest featherweight of all time one day. In the history of the UFC featherweight division, there have been four champions, including Volkanovski. The Australian fighter has defeated two of them in Jose Aldo and Max Holloway, who Volkanovski took out twice. Volkanovski today sits at the #3 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC rankings, right behind Adesanya.
To make matters more interesting, Alexander Volkanovski, with the Korean Zombie win, extended his winning streak to 21 fights. His only career loss came back in 2013, when Volkanovski was slimming down from his enormous 210-pound frame to reach the 135-pound featherweight limit.
At the time, he was fighting as a welterweight, leaving the champ undefeated in his weight division. With no defeats in nine years, no defeats at 135 pounds, and a terrifying 24-1 MMA record, it’s easy to see why Israel Adesanya would declare Volkanovski the GOAT.
Do you agree with the Stylebender about the featherweight GOAT, or does Alexander “The Great” need to improve before achieving that lofty status? Let us know in the comments.
