Islam Makhachev solidified his status as the pound-for-pound king with his third title defense against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Next up for Makahchev is Arman Tsarukyan, potentially at UFC 308. Alexander Volkanovski, who has experience fighting the lightweight champion, previewed the fight.
Interestingly, “The Diamond” was the pound-for-pound king’s first title defense against a lightweight fighter. His first two title defenses were against “The Great,” a featherweight but a champion and top 2 pound-for-pound fighter. Volkanovski had an interesting take on his former foe’s upcoming fight.
Volkanovski Offers Insights into Tsarukyan vs. Makhachev
The Australian fighter lost the featherweight strap to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 and has been on a hiatus. The former pound-for-pound king recently spoke with David Adesanya on the FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, discussing his future as a featherweight and lightweight.
As someone who fought Makhachev twice, the first time being an extremely close one, the 35-year-old previewed the potentially next lightweight title fight.
“I think it’s going to end up being a bit of a dogfight, so let’s see who wins that dogfight. That’s how I think it’s going to be. I think there’s going to be strikes, there’s going to be scrambles, there’s going to be a bit of everything,” said Alexander Volkanovski.
“Yeah, I see it being quite a competitive fight, and it’s going to be a fun one. I think it’s going to be a great one for the crowd,” the Australian added, revealing he was looking forward to the fight, which will likely headline UFC 308 at the Etihad Arena in UAE.
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UFC 308 won’t be the first time the Tsarukyan and the Makhachev lock horns inside the Octagon. In fact, the Armenian’s UFC debut, which was on short notice, was against the Dagestani. Moreover, he gave the future lightweight champion a tough fight, particularly in the wrestling department.
Volkanovski stated that the rematch will likely be a close fight like their first one. Even though both have shown their knockout capabilities, the number-ranked featherweight felt the Russian fighter has a more calculated approach than his Armenian counterpart.
