UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is focused on his next fight with Max Holloway – for now. After that, he says, he will be moving straight up to the lightweight division to attempt to capture another UFC title. He told The MMA Hour that it’s far easier for him to move up to lightweight than most would think.
“I’m moving up soon, I’m going to go out here and do what I plan on doing in f*cking several weeks. Everyone is going to be wanting that, it’s going to put me in a lot better position.
Alexander Volkanovski Is Focused On His Next Fight
Whether I need to wait for someone or whatever it is because I still need this division to sort itself out. I will be looking at that division if I don’t have s*it happening in my division, I’m going to have my eyes open.
I’m looking at them, and I see great opportunities in that fight. I don’t look at this as that big of a challenge. I want to go for that double champ status. Believe me, it isn’t going to be as hard as some people think it’s going to be to do.”
Of course, Volkanovski first has to defeat Max Holloway once more. Volkanovski is 2-0 so far against “Blessed” Holloway, albeit with the second fight being a closely contested decision. Alexander “The Great” is set to fight Holloway, defending his title once more, and extending his nine-year win streak a little further, at UFC 276. UFC president Dana White called it a “career defining moment”.
“And I agree. This fight won’t just make me the top guy at featherweight, but top guy in the UFC.
It’s not only where I separate myself from every other fighter in the division, but where I earn the pound-for-pound No.1, the [featherweight] GOAT status, all that stuff I said I would be getting.
Because right now [Max Holloway] is still in the GOAT talks, still a great fighter in a lot of people’s eyes. People think he’s still at the top.
But after this one, and with what I plan on doing, that all goes away. When you’ve lost three times to me, and in your prime, how could anyone mention you in GOAT conversations after that? And that’s not to throw shade on Max. It’s just facts.
If you get whitewashed three-zip, that’s bad. Your stocks go down. A lot. Not as many people are having those conversations about him now [being the greatest ever] but nobody will be having them after this.”
The next move will be to lightweight. “If I put Max away everyone will want me to go straight to that lightweight title. They’re the conversations people are having now, including the head honcho.
Earlier in my championship reign, it was different. But I said then that the talk would change. And now it is.” Do you think Volkanovski can capture UFC gold in the lightweight division? Let us know in the comments.
