In Saving Dana White’s Face, Alexander Volkanovski Dug His Own Grave by Accepting Islam Makhachev Fight at UFC 294

Dana White found himself in a predicament after Charles Oliveira had to pull out of the UFC 294 main event. However, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski stepped in to save his boss and fight Islam Makhachev. Even though he saved the UFC 294 event, there are a few reasons to believe that ‘The Great’ might have made a mistake.

Alexander Volkanovski has been itching for a rematch against Islam Makhachev after losing the UFC 284 fight. But he found the opportunity after Oliveira’s pullout. However, that could prove to be detrimental to the Aussie fighter. Let us take a look at a few reasons why.

Alexander Volkanovski recently had surgery

Following ‘The Great’s win over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, the featherweight champion revealed that he needed to get surgery on his arm. This revelation sparked a lot of speculation as to how long Alexander Volkanovski would be out of action. Fighters often take a considerable amount of time to rest and heal whenever they undergo surgery. However, Volkanovski later claimed that it was not as big of a deal as people think.

However, a revelation from a popular combat sports journalist, Ariel Helwani, brought new details about that injury to light. He claimed that ‘The Great’ had been dealing with an injured arm for well over a year’s period. Moreover, things became difficult for Volkanovski during the UFC 290 fight camp. He only underwent a successful surgery in July, which is only three months ago.

Read More: Where are Alexander Volkanovski’s Parents From and What Is the UFC Champ’s Ethnicity?

It could mean that the Australian is not 100 percent as he gears up to face one of the toughest fighters in the promotion. Now, let’s take a look at another reason why fighting at UFC 294 could be a tough ask for Alexander Volkanosvki.

Alexander Volkanovski prepared for a different opponent

During a recent appearance on a Spanish TV show, undefeated fighter Ilia Topuria revealed that the UFC was working to give him a title shot. He claimed that he was supposed to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the title at UFC 297, which is the first pay-per-view of 2024. As such, the featherweight champion might have taken the wrong decision to fight in Abu Dhabi, given that Topuria is a totally different kind of fighter.

Ilia Topuria is relatively younger than most fighters on the roster. At 26 years old, he has amassed a record of 14 wins and no losses (6-0 in UFC). He is a completely different fighter than Islam Makhachev. One is a jiu-jitsu expert while the other is a sambo expert. Moreover, the pressure of preparing to fight someone like Topuria and to fight someone like Islam Makhachev is totally different. This could prove to be a problem for Alexander Volkanovski as we approach October 21st. Moreover, he wasn’t even prepared to fight in October.

‘The Great’ accepted to fight in Abu Dhabi on 11 days’ notice

Dana White showed Alexander Volkanovski and his crew great respect after he accepted to fight at UFC 294. He was happy to show his ‘fight anytime, anyone’ attitude. However, that can prove to be a mistake when it comes to the featherweight champion. Given that he was injured and prepared for another opponent, the outcome of the UFC 294 fight may not turn in his favor.

Everybody is aware of the fact that Volkanovski took the fight against Islam Makhachev 11 days before the event. But will that be enough time to prepare for a fit and ready-to-go lightweight champion? The last time both of them fought, they were fully fit, conditioned, and prepared for each other. Moreover, ‘The Great’ did not even win the fight, which begs to question if taking a fight, which was less a two weeks away, was the right decision for the Aussie. This brings us to the last reason.

This could be Alexander Volkanovski’s last shot at Islam Makhachev

It is true that whenever opportunity presents itself, people should be bold enough to take it. That is what has happened to Alexander Volkanovski. He’s been wanting to get the opportunity to become another one of UFC’s double champions and record his name in the history books. Given that he had lost the first fight against Islam Makhachev, this could be his last chance for a crack at the lightweight champion.

Islam Makhachev had no problems with whom the UFC wanted him to fight after Charles Oliveira pulled out. Besides, he reunited with Khabib Nurmagomedov and trained with him for a few weeks, which has increased his confidence level. He’s well prepared. But that may not be the same for Volkanovski. If he loses this time, we might not get to see a trilogy. Hence, the Australian now finds himself in a do-or-die situation.

These aforementioned reasons can be a cause of concern for Alexander Volkanovski as he gears up for the rematch at UFC 294. However, he has proven time and time again that his performances always remain consistent. Also, it is important to note that he gave Islam Makhachev the toughest fight in the Dagestan native’s UFC career. So it remains to be seen how things unfold at UFC 294.

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