It’s been a rough couple of years for Alexander Volkanovski, who was locked in at the top of the pound for pound rankings until Islam Makhachev beat him at UFC 284 in February 2023.
In the words of Joe Rogan, ‘everything fell apart’ for Volk, who went 1-3 over his last four fights. But he has a chance to erase that losing stint from our memories on April 12th when he faces Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in Miami, Florida.
“I think a lot of people are gonna look at that and be like, ‘That was a bad run,’ and then obviously could point to skill and whatnot,” Volkanovski told ESPN. “But it was a short notice fight that I took. I wanted to take a high risk, high reward fight.”
“I was ready to take it on, and I thought I could get it done,” he continued. “Didn’t go that way. Quick turnaround, got caught again. A lot of people are gonna look at that and be like, ‘He’s done.’ And they have every right to think that. But for me, the guy that’s turning up in the gym, seeing what I’m seeing in preparation? I know I’m not done.”
“There’s only one way to change everyone’s opinion. It’s to go out there this weekend and remind everybody. And that’s exactly what I plan on doing … People will forget, and that’s why we love this game. You know, people can be quickly reminded as well, and that’s exactly what’s gonna happen this weekend.”
Volkanovski isn’t just looking to prove he’s still got it against Lopes. He wants to cement his reputation as the best featherweight champion ever by going on another impressive title run.
“I don’t really like talking about myself like that,” he said of ‘greatest’ talk. “But what I do plan on doing is getting that belt back and defending, and just adding to to my legacy.”
That legacy currently sits at five successful title defenses, two below Jose Aldo.
“It’s gonna be pretty hard to to beat my resume,” Volkanovski said. “Especially with the title defenses and the people I’ve beat, two time champion, things like that. I think it’s gonna be very, very hard to top that. So that’s what I plan on doing. If people don’t think I’m that guy yet, they will in time to come, because I plan on having another title run after this weekend.”
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
