“Hold Your Horses”- Islam Makhachev Sends Alexander Volkanovski a Stern Warning of His Double Champ Aspirations

There has never been a more exciting time for fans in the UFC. Multiple divisions in the UFC have their own unique stories and journeys from fighters, which make the promotion by far the most entertaining one in the world. One such division is featherweight where Alexander Volkanovski has run riot.

Alexander Volkanovski, the UFC featherweight champion, has declared his intention to take his dominance to yet another division. If his statement materializes, things in the promotion will pick up competitive steam like never before. In an interview with ESPN, the featherweight champ revealed his ambitions to move up to lightweight for double gold.

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Of course, Conor McGregor had also transitioned into the lightweight division after his featherweight title win. But the friction in terms of fighters was a lot lesser than it is now.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé, Islam Makhachev, stated that he’s next in line for the lightweight gold.

“Hold your horses cowboy., you have division full of young sharks, more than enough to stay busy. LW title fight is mine,” tweeted Makhachev.

With 11 wins and one loss in the UFC, Makhachev is more than ready for a title shot and will have his eyes on next month’s Justin Gaethje vs Charles Oliveira at UFC 274.

Alexander Volkanovski: Checkers in the Featherweight, Chess at Lightweight

A fighter’s fruition of his career also depends on how he chooses his bouts. Sure, if the fighter clears the division out with no worthy competitor, he’d have no choice but to move up to another division or drop down, depending on his weight class.

Volkanovski is currently the king of the featherweight division, but he still has many other competitors (Yair Rodriguez, Calvin Kattar, etc) at 145 lbs. However, the champ sees a lot of prospects in the division above, which is by far the most publicized and popular division in the UFC.

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A move up to lightweight and gaining double champ status would be an incredible boost for Volkanovski’s career and reach as a star in the UFC. He might be playing things closer to the chest in the lightweight division, but tactical proficiency and intelligence are nothing new to Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski.