UFC 284 witnessed one of the best fights in the history of the UFC, where Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev locked horns. The bout was for the UFC lightweight belt and also to decide the UFC pound-for-pound king. The two tough fighters put forward a ferocious battle in all five rounds. When the bout came to an end, the fight fans were confused about who would win the bout, as it was a highly close affair. During the announcement of the winner, it was Makhachev’s hands that were raised. This disappointed the entire Australian crowd, as their local boy lost the fight.
If ‘The Great’ managed to emerge victorious in the bout, he would have been the UFC’s two-division champion. However, things didn’t work out for him. Soon after the bout, many fans wanted a rematch. The rematch didn’t materialize, and both Volkanovski and Makhachev went forward with other plans. At the moment, Volkanovski has finally revealed why the rematch didn’t come to fruition.
Alexander Volkanovski reveals the reason
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In a video uploaded by the YouTube channel BT Sport, Volkanovski detailed why a rematch between him and the Russian fighter didn’t take place. The Australian said, “They asked what did I want to do. ‘Do you want the rematch? do you want but if you’re going to want the rematch, you’re just probably gonna have to wait a while or do you want to go back?’ I was asked that and just said I am waiting so it’s pretty simple, I’m you know, you get a lot of guys that are like you know in front of the camera they might say one…“
Talking further on the matter, ‘The Great’ stated, “I’m like literally nuts. I’m not waiting that long I want to be active you know. I’m not lying I want to. I’ll do this fight and then I’ll do that later because that’s just how I am. I’m in my prime right so I want to make the most of that.” According to Volkanovski, the promotion wanted him to wait a long time to fight against Makhachev. However, he was not ready to stay inactive for a long time. Instead, he chose to take on his next opponent in the featherweight division.
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What’s in store for ‘The Great’?
Presently, Alexander Volkanovski is getting ready to fight interim UFC featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez in the title unification bout. The fight between the two will take place on July 8 at UFC 290. There is no doubt that the two are great fighters who have the ability to blow the roof off the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Volkanovski currently has a record of 25 victories and 2 losses.
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Rodriguez is a 15-3 record holder. The bout will be nothing but a thrilling spectacle for the fans. On the other hand, Islam Makhachev is set to fight against Charles Oliveira next. It is expected that the rematch between the two will take place in Abu Dhabi. Do you want a rematch between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski? Let us know in the comments below.
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