Opinion: Alexander Volkanovski Considered the FW GOAT Ahead of Conor McGregor, Jose Aldo, and Max Holloway

Without a doubt, UFC’s featherweight category is one of the most competitive divisions in all of MMA. One after the other, new stars are popping out of the division. Further, the 145-pound division has given MMA fans some of their favorite fighters. Names like Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, and Jose Aldo have all had an illustrious career in this division. And for a long time, there has been a wild debate amongst fans, to decide UFC’s featherweight GOAT.

Some fans consider Conor McGregor to be the best featherweight ever, because of his unparalleled popularity and stardom. Meanwhile, many others give this title to Max Holloway, because of his consistency and statistics. Not too far behind, Jose Aldo also enters this conversation regularly, because of his rich legacy. However, there is one man who might have overtaken everyone else in the race to become the featherweight GOAT of UFC. He is none other than the current UFC featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. Going ahead, we are going to look at a few reasons why ‘The Great’ can be considered the best UFC featherweight fighter of all time.

An exceptional MMA record and winning streak

One of the most fundamental criteria to judge a fighter’s worth is his professional record. When it comes to Volkanovski, his exceptional record is a testament to his unparalleled skill and dedication. As of September 2023, Volkanovski has a record of 26 victories with just 2 defeats. One of those two defeats came in the early phase of his MMA career, in 2013.

Further, Volkanovski’s only loss in the UFC is against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. However, it is worth noting that Volkanovski’s fight against Makhachev was a lightweight bout, and had no effect on his featherweight career. This record looks a bit better when compared to other names in the UFC featherweight GOAT discussion.

Max Holloway has a record of 25 wins and 7 losses. Jose Also, on the other hand, carries a record of 31 wins and 8 losses. Meanwhile, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor is currently on a 2-fight losing streak, with a record of 22 wins and 6 losses. Further, the Australian fighter also once enjoyed a 12-fight win streak in the UFC. Only Holloway has had a better win streak than Volkanovski among the featherweight elites (13).

Consistent title defenses

Fans love to see their favorite fighters actively competing, and Volkanovski has managed to do that. Ever since he became the featherweight champ in 2019, ‘The Great’ has defended his title 5 times. Further, these title defenses have been against some of the best featherweight fighters in the world, like Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, and The Korean Zombie.

Most recently, Volkanovski defended his belt against rising star Yair Rodriguez. While many considered Rodriguez to be a strong threat, Volkanovski was able to finish his opponent in the third round.

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Rewinding back, Conor McGregor never defended his UFC featherweight belt. On the other hand, Max Holloway was only able to defend the belt 3 times before losing it to Volkanovski. Only Jose Aldo has had more featherweight title defenses than Volkanovski, but the Australian fighter has the potential to break that record as well!

Volkanovski has defeated the biggest UFC featherweight names

The 34-year-old has faced both Jose Aldo and Max Holloway in the UFC octagon. At UFC 237, Volkanovski faced ‘Junior’ and was able to win the fight with a comfortable unanimous decision. Next, he faced Holloway for the featherweight title and defeated him too, via another dominant decision. Soon, Volkanovski faced ‘Blessed’ once again, and defeated him via a razor-sharp split decision.

The entire MMA world loved this rivalry, and despite the fact that Volkanovski had won both fights, fans wanted to see them finish the trilogy. At UFC 276, Volkanovski faced Holloway for the third time and bagged another victory. Just like their first fight, ‘The Great’ was able to get a one-sided decision in his favor. Win one win against Jose Aldo and three wins against Max Holloway, the 34-year-old might have already proven that he is better than both of them.

However, he has never fought UFC’s first double champ Conor McGregor. Although there have been numerous back-and-forth exchanges between the two, a fight featuring them is yet to materialize. McGregor’s move out of the featherweight division and his recent inactivity have been the two primary reasons for this. Even if this fight happens, it will be a herculean task for ‘The Notorious’ to deal with Volkanovski’s grappling skills and never-ending cardio.

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All things considered, there is no denying the fact that Alexander Volkanovski deserves the crown of the ‘absolute best’ at the moment. Do you think he is UFC’s featherweight GOAT? Do let us know in the comments below.