Alexander Volkanovsky, the only fighter who can push him in the 5th round

Alexander Volkanovski is sure no one can control him in the five-round UFC battle.

Former five-time defensive UFC featherweight champion Volkanovsky (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) was undefeated for almost a decade before meeting lightweight champion Islam Makachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) at UFC 284. fight.

Volkanovski returned to featherweight and successfully defended the title against Yair Rodriguez in the UFC 290 and jumped into a short-term opportunity to rematch Makhachev in the UFC 294. However, Volkanovski was knocked out in the first round. His return to 145 pounds was not a success this time as he abdicated to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 with another knockout loss.

Apart from being arrested, Volkanovski believes he has the skills to go toe toe with someone on the roster, probably outside Makhachev, in five rounds.

“I don’t think anyone can beat me,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia. “The only one who can see me having a tough fight for the fifth round is, as you saw, the first Islamic Makhachev. Everyone else has a chance to be a puncher. That’s how I see it all the time. I really believe it.

With featherweight champion Ilia Toplia abandoning the title, Volkanovsky and Diego Lopez (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will compete for vacant titles in the UFC 314 main event at Kaseya Center in Miami (ESPN+Pay-Perview, ESPN/Dini+, ESPN+) on April 12th.

“I think he needs to be reckless to beat me because they can get me,” Volkanovsky said. “If he’s going to fight this perfect battle, it won’t work. He needs to be reckless and try to get me. That’s his best chance. So he’s going to do what we all know that he’s trying to do and what he’s doing.