Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub believes we’ll see featherweight champ Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski take on the sport’s biggest star. Volkanovksi himself has declared that he wants to fight Conor McGregor, but with the Irishman unlikely to make weight at 145 pounds, a step up to the lightweight division might present a solution. Brendan Schaub explained his logic on The Schaub Show.
“He went through some of the guys, I think [Volkanovski] said what makes the most sense for him is Conor at ’55 because he beat all the legends at ’45. He wants to be the king of ’45.
Schaub: Volkanovski vs McGregor at 155 a “no brainer”
And I was like, ‘Conor never working ’45.’ He was like, ‘No. So I’ll meet him at lightweight if he’ll do it.’ So he’ll meet him at ’55 which is a great f*cking fight. For Conor, that’s a no-brainer, fighting the champ at ’45 at ’55. You know, Conor’s a problem at ’55. I know he hasn’t got a ton of wins there but he’s still a f*cking monster.”
Although Conor McGregor was once champion of both the 145 and 155 pound divisions, he has not won a fight at lightweight since 2016. That was his sole victory in the 155-pound division, albeit a landmark knockout win over then-champion Eddie Alvarez.
“Remember when he was a double-champ at ’45 and ’55, when he beat Eddie Alvarez? I think 55 is by far the best weight class for Conor McGregor.
Conor at ’55 is a beast, ’70 is a little dicey, he’s big right now but I think ’55 would be a good home for him. So, him versus Volkanovski would be an insane fight.”
Alexander Volkanovski recently bumped City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya from the #2 pound-for-pound fighter spot when he defended his featherweight title against The Korean Zombie. Volkanovski has repeatedly claimed that he wants to occupy a unique spot in UFC history: to be the only champ to have defeated every other champ in the division’s history.
With victories over Jose Aldo and Max Holloway already under his belt, the only name left on Volkanovski’s list is Conor McGregor, who famously dethroned Aldo in thirteen seconds to claim his first title.
McGregor, who is still recovering from a broken leg sustained fighting Dustin Poirier last July, seems more interested in a fight at welterweight, where he’s had more luck than at lightweight of late. Interestingly, Volkanovski’s sole career loss came when he was fighting at welterweight, albeit in a small-time Australian promotion.
Do you want to see Volkanovski vs McGregor? Should it take place at 155 pounds, or could Alexander “The Great” move up to 170? Let us know in the comments.
