Alexander Volkanovski Breaks Down Why He Believes Max Holloway Can Win Over Ilia Topuria In UFC Featherweight Championship

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovksi recently explained why he thinks his former rival, UFC BMF Champion Max Holloway, can conquer Ilia Topuria.

By Nayan Kumawat

Published on Jun 05, 2024 | 05:32 PM IST | 83.7K

Image Courtesy : Getty Images

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovksi lost his championship at UFC 298, pay-per-view, after almost five years. Undefeated featherweight contender Ilia Topuria defeated The Great in the second round to become the new king of the UFC featherweight division.

Alexander Volkanovski’s downfall last year was one of the most shocking. From being the UFC featherweight champion and pound-for-pound number one ranked fighter to losing two times last year, losing his championship, and getting knocked out two times in less than a year, it is a massive downfall for Volk.

Alex is currently working on himself in the training lab and plans to come back stronger when he steps inside the UFC Octagon next time.

The number one contender for UFC featherweight champion is Alexander Volkanovski, but The Great has no plans to come back anytime soon. The UFC Featherweight Champion will have to defend his championship this year as early as September or August.

Other than Alexander Volkanovski, there’s only one featherweight this time who is most likely to face the championship: former Featherweight champion and current BMF champion Max Holloway.

According to reports and rumors, the match between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria is almost a done deal. UFC can announce the dates just after UFC 303.

Recently, Alexander Volkanovski spoke with Submission Radio, explaining why he feels Max Holloway can actually defeat and dismantle Ilia Topuria.

Alexander said, "Look I think Ilia's a great fighter, but I would probably pick Max in that one. I think Max's chin's obviously held up many times and I think his boxing's gonna be good enough."

He continued, "He will get hit so, Ilia will be testing that chin. But at the same time I think Max Holloway, you know going in the later rounds it's just gonna favor him."

Alexander Volkanovski picks Islam Makhachev over Jon Jones as PFP's number-one fighter

Recently, at the UFC 302 post-fight press conference, Dana White started a new controversy among the fight fans after he dismissed Islam Makhachev as the number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter and ranked Jon Jones above the UFC lightweight champion.

Dana White said, “For anybody to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f***** fighting is nuts and shouldn’t be ranking in the pound-for-pound or doing any of the f**** rankings ever.”

White added, “Jon Jones has never lost a fight ever, he’s fought all the baddest dudes in the world, and then when you think about what the pound-for-pound rankings really mean, he moved up to heavyweight and destroyed one of the best guys in the world. As long as Jon Jones is still fighting, active, and in the rankings, nobody is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

A lot of UFC legends and former fighters agreed that Dana White’s stance ranked Jon Jones above Islam Makhachev. Still, Makhachev's former rival and former number-one ranked pound-for-pound champion, Alexander Volkanovski, has preferred his rival, who knocked him out at UFC 294.

Alexander Volkanovski expressed while talking to Submission Radio, “You look at Jon Jones, alright we get it you're gonna say he's the greatest fighter of all-time. But pound-for-pound I think there has to be some activity there, who you've fought lately. Islam's fought some great fighters and he's won so you got to give him a lot of credit for that. I think he's pound-for-pound.”

Some will pick Jon Jones, and some will pick Islam Makhachev as the number one ranked pound-for-pound fighter, but both these fighters are undefeatedly the best at their own games, and comparing their careers is unfair. Both deserve the utmost respect for what they have managed to achieve in their illustrated mixed martial arts careers.

ALSO READ: Michael Bisping Picks Jon Jones Over Islam Makhachev as No. 1 PFP Fighter; Here's Why