Alexander Volkanovski believes Islam Makhachev is “the best in the world”, still hopping for trilogy bout

Alexander Volkanovski, after his unsuccessful attempt to become a double champion at UFC 294, will be defending his featherweight title at UFC 298. His opponent, Ilia Topuria, is undefeated in professional MMA. Topuria’s latest triumph was a dominant decision win over Josh Emmet.

Volkanovski suffered a brutal head kick in the first round of the bout against Makhachev that ultimately caused his demise. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, the Australian had words to say about the lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev.

Alexander Volkanovski hails Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski’s resume in the featherweight division of the UFC is second to none. The Australian is undefeated in the division and has victories over all the former champions in the division, sans Conor McGregor. However, his recent setback at UFC 294 against Islam Makhachev was a big blow to his double-champion aspirations.

Nevertheless, Volkanovski was all praise for Makhachev, even though he took the fight against the Russian fighter on 12 days’ notice. “Preparation is key, and I thought I could do it without it, but you can’t against the best in the world. So again, credit to Islam,” said Volkanovski of Islam on the MMA Hour.

Islam Mahachev and Alexander Volkanovski fought for the first time at UFC 284 in Australia in what was a bout between the then pound-for-pound 1 and 2. Volkanovski weighed in as a backup at UFC 280 when Makhachev faced Charles Oliveira and even had a face-off after Makhachev defeated Oliveira via submission.

Their bout was extremely competitive at UFC 284, where Makhachev conceded a unanimous decision victory. However, the decision was not without controversy, as many believed that Volkanovski had done enough to win the bout. Nevertheless, Makhachev declared victory at UFC 294 to shut all doubters.

Volk talks on his comeback and trilogy with Islam

Even though he devastatingly lost his previous bout, Alexander Volkanovski is aiming to make a statement in his upcoming bout against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. “I just want everyone to know I’m all good yeah but um but now everyone gets to see the bounce back,” said Volkanovski about his loss and his plans.

Volkanovski was visibly emotional after his loss to Makhachev at UFC 294. He even broke down at the post-fight press conference which elicited remarks related to mental health. The Australian’s latest victory was against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 in what was his 5th defense of the featherweight title.

Moreover, Volkanovski wants to have a big legacy in the sport of MMA and likes challenging himself. Therefore he is not hesitant to face Makhachev a third time if an opportunity arises. “I’m going to be training in case there are injuries and someone needs a late replacement. People are going to think I’m mad, but I’m going to do it again, especially for the lightweight division.”, said Volkanovski.

Despite being 0-2 against Islam Makhachev, Volaknovski has no qualms about facing Makhachev for a third time. However, he knows that Makhachev is eyeing a move up in weight to the welterweight division. He had already talked about it during the UFC 294 press conference but has contenders lined up in the division to face.

Do you think Alexander Volkanovski defends the title at UFC 298? Leave your comments below!