The bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev is still on hold as the UFC has yet to make an official announcement. Volkanovski later assured the Australian fans that the fight would definitely take place and that he would win the lightweight championship belt on his home turf.
Since the latest development at UFC 280, there has been a lot of buzzing about a fight between the Russian and Australian MMA stars. Makhachev won the lightweight championship after defeating Charles Oliveira. Still, “The Great” is desperate for a battle against the current lightweight champion in his homeland. So he reminded the 31-year-old Makhachev about their promised fight. In response, the Lightweight division fighter stated that he was just waiting on all the paperwork and that he was ready to go.
“The second I receive the paper, I will sign it, don’t worry. Enjoy your pound-for-pound first spot for now. The Russian UFC fighter then added, “I’m not sure what UFC wants, February-Australia or March-Vegas, I honestly don’t care about location and opponent, I never choose opponents. Just send a contract and stop playing games.”
The second I receive the paper, I will sign it, don’t worry ✏️ enjoy your P4P first spot for now 😉 https://t.co/7J4kUCKuE5
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) November 4, 2022
Good man 🙌🏼
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) November 4, 2022
Are you a man of your word? @MAKHACHEVMMA? 🇦🇺 Let’s make it happen! ✍️ #UFC284
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) November 4, 2022
The No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC wants the fight to take place in Australia at UFC 284. So he can defeat the current lightweight champion and claim the title in front of the entire Australian audience. He wants to win to honor his people. But it’s not an easy task, and there’s also the fear of losing the battle in his own country. So the pressure is definitely mounting on the 34-year-old champion.
Despite this, Khabib’s protégé wants to have a good time with his Australian MMA buddy. As he later mockingly compared their respective size differences saying, “Just make sure your people convince the UFC that you can compete with me; from what I heard, they think you’re too small.” While the AFC featherweight champion did not respond to Makhachev’s comment about his height, he appeared pleased that Makhachev agreed.
However, the main issue with UFC’s official announcement remains unresolved. As of now, the featherweight division fighter has yet to provide any definitive updates on his potential showdown with the lightweight champion at UFC 284 in Australia. But he assures that the fight will take place as planned in February.
