UFC President Dana White has confirmed he already has an opponent in mind for the winner of Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev set to go down this weekend inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Earlier, Alexander Volkanovski had claimed that he would be a backup for the much anticipated lightweight title bout causing a stir on social media.
Beneil Dariush had hit back at Volkanovski, stating he was playing games all the while putting the blame on the UFC. Dariush had claimed he was told he would be the backup option by his manager.
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Clearing the air, UFC President Dana White once again confirmed that Alexander Volkanovski is the backup fighter for UFC 280. Interestingly enough, White also confirmed that the winner of Charles Oliveira vs Islam Makhachev will face Alexander Volkanovski next in their first title defense. Why? Because “it makes sense”.
Alexander Volkanovski will follow in Conor McGregor’s footsteps as he looks to become a two-division UFC champion
Alexander Volkanovski has dominated the featherweight division. With three wins over featherweight legend Max Holloway, and having seemingly cleared his division, the Australian fighter is looking to further cement his legacy by moving up a weight class in an attempt to become a two-division champion.
The last time a featherweight champion moved to the lightweight division was when Conor McGregor took on Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight gold. McGregor was successful in his attempt, beating Alvarez in the second round back at UFC 205 to become the first fighter to hold two UFC titles simultaneously.
It’s safe to say things can switch at any time, what with Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot making a case for themselves for the title belt should they emerge victorious. Moreover, with Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier set to throw down at UFC 282, there’s a huge possibility that the title shot could fall into their laps.
As it stands right now, Dana White is confident Alexander Volkanovski vs the winner of Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev makes complete sense.