Alexander Volkanovski believes he can beat Islam Makhachev ‘coming off the couch’
Alexander Volkanovski is taking one of the biggest risks in recent MMA history as he steps in on 12 days’ notice to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. The UFC featherweight championship is still confident he can defeat Volkanovski despite “coming off the couch” to take the fight.
Volkanovski addressed his matchup with Makhachev on his YouTube channel. All quotes via The Score.
“Would I prefer a better camp? Of course,” Volkanovski said. “Everyone would. You know what I’m like with my preparation. I like to make sure. But I’m the man for the job. If anyone can do it, if anyone can do this on 12 days’ notice off the couch, as they would say, it’s me.”
Volkanovski will be at a significant disadvantage without a fight camp. In anticipation of his first fight with Makhachev, Volkanovski created a great game plan and made massive grappling improvements. With just 12 days to prepare, he will struggle to make large improvements.
Despite having his back up against the wall, Volkanovski’s confidence is evident. In part, that is because the pressure will be falling on Makhachev.
“No pressure on me, baby,” Volkanovski said. “No pressure at all. All the pressure is on him. I’m coming off the couch.”
Win or lose, Volkanovski deserves massive respect for agreeing to fight Makhachev on short notice. That is the most difficult fight that he can currently take and it provides him the potential to become a double champion.
“This is obviously a pretty crazy thing to do,” Volkanovski said. “There’s not many fighters out there that probably would do this, especially in my position. But I always say that I will do these things. … I am that guy that will do anytime, anywhere, any weight, whatever it is. I guess this is an opportunity to prove that once again.”
Will Volkanovski make history at UFC 294 and defeat Makhachev or does the current champion retain his title? Let us know in the comments.
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