UFC 284 is almost upon us! As such, we will finally get to see Alexander Volkanovski take on Islam Makhachev in a champ vs champ title fight. Ahead of UFC 284, which is only a week away, feather champ and men’s #1 P4P Volkanovski has revealed his real weight.
Fighting at 145 pounds for the majority of his career, Alexander “The Great” has had to bulk up for his quest for the lightweight title. As such, Volk previously revealed what diet he has been following in the lead-up to the fight. Coming in against a bigger opponent, Volk will need all the strength and muscle he can get.
Alexander Volkanovsk says he currently weighs 77 kg.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/fmcFCGtrTD
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) February 1, 2023
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Volkanovski spoke about his weight 10 days out of the fight. “About 77 kilograms, so about 170 (lbs), just above 170.” Thus, Alexander Volkanovski is likely to make the 155 lbs pound limit for the title fight next week with ease. Although Volk likely walks around much higher than the 145 lbs featherweight limit, he has bulked up even more to build his strength and toughness.
Previously, in an interview with Israel Adesanya’s brother, David, he stated the same. According to Alexander, he feels the need to get stronger and work on his takedown defense. With Makhachev’s best assets being his wrestling and grappling, Volk will have to prepare for the same.
For the most part, Alexander’s fight camp has been a relative success, with the Aussie now feeling like a ‘brick wall’. Moreover, he feels twice as strong as he was before and believes that his takedown defense is on point as well. With Islam making light work of former champ Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, Volk is well wary of the Dagestani’s threat.
What is Alexander Volkanovski’s weight on fight day?
For those unaware, fighters need to make their weight limits ahead of the official and ceremonial weigh-ins. Following the weigh-ins, the fighters are allowed to replenish and rehydrate themselves meaning that they usually come in a little heavier than their previous weight.
Similarly, in the interview with Ariel Helwani, Volk also revealed that prior to his featherweight fights, he would weigh “about 73 (kilograms), 73 or 74 max.” As such, coming into the fight against Makhchev, Volk does not feel like a fish out of water at all. Instead, he has grown accustomed to the slight gain in size and strength and is feeling rather confident coming into the fight against Khabib’s protege.
Although many like Volkanovski believe that the fight will go to ground, others, including Islam, believe we could be seeing a stand-up contest instead. Previously, we got a slight taste of Islam’s striking prowess as he stunned Oliveira with a crisp shot, sending him to the ground.
As such, Islam himself has stated that he would like to showcase his striking a bit more. If Volkanovski’s wrestling and takedown defense cancel out that of Makhachev, we could be in for a fireworks display. Being a seasoned striker himself, Alexander Volkanovski would usually be backed in case that happens. However, we will only find out what will truly happen once the two fighters step inside the Octagon.
What did you make of Volkanovski’s weight gain? Will he be able to even out the odds against Islam? Do you think the fight will be a striking contest or a wrestling match? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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