Alexander Volkanovski proved that age is just a number. At 36, he not only won the featherweight title again, against all odds but also became the second person is the division’s history to do so. The 27-4-0 had most MMA fans and veterans doubting his credibility after he lost against Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria back to back. The featherweight star won with an amazing unanimous decision victory against the dangerous 30-year-old Diego Lopes and proved that a big part of his journey is still left in UFC.
‘Volk’ successfully broke the age curse as well. Coming into UFC 314, fighters aged 35 and above were 0-17 all-time in UFC title fights at 155 pounds or lighter. He turns 37 in September but managed to give a spectacular performance reminiscent of the ‘Volkanovski of old’’ to win the featherweight title.
Everyone from welterweight champ Belal Muhammad to football legend Cristiano Ronaldo congratulated him on social media. Muhammad said on X, “One more for the 36-year-olds” while an Instagram user by the name of NasharMMA posted Ronaldo’s response, saying, “Bro even Ronaldo was happy for Volk becoming champion again. Bro was going through it just like us.” The all-time top scorer in men’s international football wrote, “Champ is back.”
Ronaldo directed his appreciation towards Volkanovski before as well. The Al-Nassr FC star had attended the crossover fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou and met Israel Adesanya who was there to support the Cameroonian heavyweight. What caught fans’ attention was how the soccer legend asked for an update on Alexander Volkanovski after he confessed about his mental health struggles following a knockout loss against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294.Now that the Aussie is back on track, Ronaldo is more than elated than ever.
But what about Volkanovski’s next fight? Well as per MMA Orbit, his coach Joe Lopez had some updates and said about Movsar Evloev, “He’s not very exciting, but he’s unbeaten and he’s on a run. If anyone deserves the shot it’s him… He’s good at getting people down but he doesn’t do much with it once he gets them down. That’s what I guess makes him boring, he just hangs on to them. I don’t think he’s going to be able to hang on to Volk.”
Interestingly, 19-0 star Evloev congratulated Volkanovski on X and gave a direct callout saying, “Congratulations on an excellent performance, you’re a true champion! Now let’s see what your word is worth!” As far as ‘The Great’ is concerned he acknowledged Movsar Evloev and Yair Rodriguez, as the two main candidates to be the next set of challengers.
Alexander Volkanovski ready for two fighters as his next title challenger
During the UFC 314 post-fight presser, he said, “Yair was saying he wants the title shot. He’s a good dude. I like him a lot. If the UFC wants to give it to him, I’m not going to stop that for him, but yeah, if I’d be honest, before that fight, I don’t think he’d be getting the shot. Now that he’s calling it, I’m not going to be the one saying no. I’m going to leave everything to the UFC. You’ve got Mosvar, he’s undefeated, and I would love to that that zero. We got to see what the UFC says.”
Evloev is the biggest threat currently because the Russian is a wrestling elite with an undefeated record. He has recent wins over veterans like Aljamain Sterling and Arnold Allen, and had a masterclass victory against Diego Lopes in the latter’s debut. Evloev has truly cemented his name as a true contender in the eyes of fans. How would a fight between Volkanovski and Evloev turn out?
The Russian has an amazing wrestling arsenal along with impeccable ground control. On the other hand, Volkanovski has one of the most efficient striking arsenals and mixes leg kicks with feints, along with perfect distance control. Furthermore, Volkanovski can survive Evloev’s grappling because he showed his prowess against Brian Ortega and in his first fight against Islam Makhachev.
On the other hand, Yair Rodriguez has faced the Aussie before at UFC 290, where ‘Volk’ won via KO/TKO in round 3. However, Rodriguez did get a win at UFC 314 against Patrício Pitbull. He also has a myriad striking arsenal, especially his kicking game, and his ability to scramble and fight from his back. So if they have a rematch, will the result be the same as UFC 290?
So, what does the next fight hold for Alexander Volkanovski? Let us know in the comments!
The post “Makes Him Boring”- Alexander Volkanovski’s Next Fight Sealed Amid Cristiano Ronaldo’s Special Message at UFC 314 appeared first on EssentiallySports.