EXCLUSIVE: Volk’s bold call on historic fight — and ‘pretty obvious’ title reality check for UFC rival

Alexander Volkanovski has promised to throw all strategy “out the window” if offered a BMF blockbuster against longtime rival Max Holloway, declaring: “We do the belt justice … it’s ‘OK, we’re scrapping”.

UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2 | SUN 1 FEB 1PM AEDT | For the first time in his storied career, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will defend his championship in his home city of Sydney, in a rematch with Brazil’s Diego Lopes. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

The revelation comes as Australia’s UFC featherweight king has also revealed the major flaw which sees Sunday’s UFC 325 rival Diego Lopes leave “big openings” in fights – while also stressing the Brazilian has only one hope for beating him.

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia, Volkanovski has also given predictions for who wins not only the upcoming BMF title match between Holloway and Charles Oliveira, but also a potential No.1 contender fight between his most likely featherweight rivals — Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy.

In what shapes as the first defence of his UFC second reign, Volkanovski headlines Sunday’s stacked Sydney card with a rematch against Lopes – who he only beat via comprehensive decision in April last year.

While ‘The Great’ hasn’t fought since the pair’s first encounter, Lopes has gone and punched his way back into the title picture via a brutal TKO win over countryman Jean Silva last September.

Yet despite the strong showing by Lopes last start, Volkanovski says he saw nothing from the performance to convince him their latest showing will be any different, declaring of his rival: “His only chance is to land a big shot … and if I fight him again two years from now that will still be the case”.

Elsewhere, Volkanovski also declared his interest in potentially fighting what would be a historic fourth fight against UFC legend Holloway – who he is tipping to defend the Baddest Mother F***er title against Oliveira in April.

Apart from initially taking the UFC featherweight crown from Holloway in 2019, Volk then defended against him twice more.

Asked who wins between Holloway and Oliviera at UFC 236 in April, and Volkanovski replied: “I think it’s Max”.

So as for then taking a shot at the BMF strap himself?

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“Oh, why not?” Volkanovski grinned.

“I mean, if the BMF title is offered to me? Or the UFC lightweight title?

“Yeah, I’m doing it.

“And fighting Max in a different division, for that strap, it definitely brings something new.

“[Laughs] And of course if that particular BMF belt were going to be up for grabs, then I’d probably want to live up to that and go ‘OK, we’re scrapping’.

“I think strategy goes out the window for that one … we do the belt justice and just fight that fight.

“But I’ve also always talked about things being earned, not given.

“So if things are given to me, sweet.

“But I’ll always approach things like I have to earn it.”

Which is why if not going down the BMF route in victory, Volkanovski stressed he was more than ready to fight his division’s two most likely contenders, who he expects the UFC will square off to find a genuine No.1.

So as for who Volk thinks wins between Evloev and Murphy?

“Movsar wins the fight,” he said of the Russian who is undefeated in all 19 professional bouts, including nine inside the Octagon.

“So that then gives me a fight against the real No.1 contender.

“Someone who is undefeated in 20 fights, massive resume. So a fight like that is big for your legacy.

“I also believe as champion, you have a responsibility.

“And right now I’m fighting a rematch [against Lopes] that some people might say is questionable, or that there are two other guys out there who are deserving.

“And two guys who are probably now going to fight.

“So do I start chasing other belts like the BMF? Especially when I’m going to have a clear guy very soon …”

Asked what he learned from having already gone five rounds with Lopes last year, and Volkanovski replied that it’s the Brazilian having only one shot at victory in Sunday’s Sydney headliner.

“And that’s to land a big shot,” Volkanovski said.

“If I fight him again two years from now that will still be the case, to be honest.

“That’s just how he fights.

“And why he is dangerous.

“Can he catch me? That’s always been the question.

“No matter where it is between us, that’s always going to be the question.

“And if he doesn’t? I’m winning.

“That’s no disrespect to him.

“But I think it’s pretty obvious.”

Pushed on their first fight, and what he learned, Volkanovski continued: “There are a few different things.

“One is that we now know he wasn’t that good at cutting off [the cage].

“We had a game plan and were able to keep turning him the way we did. He wasn’t very good at cutting off.

“So we get a lot out of that.

“Because now it’s ‘can he be good at cutting off?’

“Everyone knows that is what he’s going to try and be better at. But at the same time, given it’s been such a short amount of time, and when he didn’t have a real understanding of it … can he do it properly?

“Because if you do it wrong, you can leave big openings.

“And that’s something I’ve taken a lot from.

“And even more so after his last fight because he didn’t show me many improvements in that side of things.

“He looked strong. Looked durable.

“Showed all those things he had already shown me.

“But he didn’t show me anything new.”

Volkanovski said the fight had also proved he could take a punch, which was important after having lost via consecutive knockouts against Islam Makhachev and then Ilia Topuria.

“One of the questions coming into that fight was ‘can I still take a punch?’,” Volk shrugged.

“And now we know: Yes, I can.

“It was a question I was asking, too. Thinking ‘I get hit, how am I going to hold up?’

“And Diego did with a couple of big shots.

“And there was that one where I did go down.,

“But a couple of others also landed big and I didn’t go down.

“So since the fight, we’ve looked at why he caught me, and those few little things that I need to fix up.

“We’ve taken a lot from that so this time, it’s don’t let him land those shots.”