“I’m Gonna Turn Up”- Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya Send a Message to Islam Makhachev as Charles Oliveira Backs Out of UFC 294

Alexander Volkanovski is now the new opponent for Islam Makhachev‘s main event title defense at UFC 294. As such, it becomes a big-money superfight, a rerun of UFC 284. Meanwhile, Volkanovski’s teammate Israel Adesanya seems to be excited, as he hyped up the fight in a story on his Instagram handle.

Charles Oliveira lost the chance to reclaim his lightweight title. However, it opened the doors for ‘The Great’ to become another double champion in the history of the UFC. As such, he and Israel Adesanya decided to send a message to Islam Makhachev’s camp ahead of their showdown on October 21st.

Israel Adesanya hypes up Alexander Volkanovski for his rematch against Islam Makhachev

The former middleweight champion shared an edited video from Alexander Volkanovski’s UFC 290 post-fighter press conference appearance. It was an attempt to extend his support to his teammate, who got another chance to become a double champion. The video clip shows ‘The Great’ talking about why he’s had all the success and why he continues to be on top of his game.

“The passion for the sport and the mindset [reasons for his success]” said Volkanovski. Moreover, he mentioned how other fighters seek motivation to continue being the best. However, the undisputed featherweight champion credits his discipline for his success. “People want to do all this fancy sh*t to get motivated. I don’t need that. I’ve got discipline; I’m gonna turn up anyway.”

Read More: What Happened Between Khamzat Chimaev and Khabib Nurmagomedov? All About Their Relationship and the Beef Between the Two Undefeated UFC Stars

Similarly, Alexander Volkanovski also claimed to be a much hungrier fighter than he was before. He believes that getting to do what he loves is a privilege, and he’s happy to make a living out of it. “I am more passionate now than I was before. I love this game [and] I am proud of where I am and this is a privilege to do something that I love and make money from it.” But will this fight turn out to be in Volkanovski’s favor?

History of Volkanovski’s rivalry with Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev have had an exciting rivalry as of late. While the Dagestan native wants to be the best pound-for-pound fighter, the Australian wants to be a double champion. The thirst shown by both fighters made their initial fight at UFC 284 one to remember. Moreover, it was not an easy fight for Islam Makhachev.

The last time two of these fighters met each other, it was in a competitive fight. Many people argued that Volkanovski might have won the fight since he looked great. However, it was Islam Makhachev who scored the unanimous decision to win the bout. It remains to be seen how things will pan out this time around.

There is no doubt that Islam Makhachev will have the upper hand in terms of support since the UAE has a large following of Muslim fans. However, Alexander Volkanovski has proved how big of a threat he can be inside the Octagon. Regardless of who wins or loses, the fight is guaranteed to be one of the best fights of the year.

What are your thoughts? Drop your comments below.

Watch This Story: Charles Oliveira’s Latest Sparring Footage Before The Islam Makhachev Fight At UFC 294 Leaves Fans In Awe