Alexander Volkanovski has said that he wants to go out and “hurt” Islam Makhachev in their upcoming rematch.
The two were not expected to face off again for some time, but an injury to Charles Oliveira, who was supposed to face the Russian lightweight champion in Abu Dhabi, this Saturday, opened the door for the Australian to step in and get another shot at the 155lb belt.
It was announced just a matter of days ago that Makhachev v Volkanovski would be the main event for UFC 294. The co-main event was also affected by injury, as Paulo Costa had to pull out of his middleweight bout against Khamzat Chimaev.
Instead, the undefeated Chimaev will face former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who will be making his debut at 185lbs.
Alexander Volkanovski’s Thoughts On Makhachev Rematch
The featherweight champion sounds excited to get back in the Octagon on Saturday night.
He said “With how excited I am, how refreshed I am — both mentally and physically — I’m going to be a dangerous man in there.
“I plan on knocking him out.”
The plan for the Aussie looked to be one that didn’t see him competing again until the new year. MMA Fighting said that Volk had agreed to face Ilia Topuria for his 145lb belt in January.
But, ideally, he would have wanted to have been fighting sooner, so the call to say that there was an opening in the UFC 294 main event was welcomed by the 35-year-old.
“I didn’t hesitate at all,” said the Aussie. “There was probably a smile on my face straightaway and it was, ‘Oh, we’re going to do it,’ let the manager do his part with negotiations. He’s asking about the weight, ‘We’ll get it done, don’t worry about that.’ But I had a smile on my face.
“The next day, or couple of days, I literally just was laughing thinking how crazy this is, but happy at the same time. I think I needed this, to be honest.”
Quotes taken from Submission Radio YouTube channel.
What Happened In Alexander Volkanovski v Islam Makhachev?
It was simply one of the closest title fights of this year.
Both parties involved impressed, but not in the way that was expected. The 35-year-old’s takedown defence stifled Makhachev’s plan A, and the Russian’s striking caught the eye of many.
In the end, the 31-year-old won via split decision, in February. Makhachev hasn’t fought since, whereas Volk beat Yair Rodriguez in July.
How do you think this one goes down the second time round? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
