Alexander Volkanovski says he would happily climb two weight classes and challenge UFC welterweight champ Belal Muhammad, while also unveiling the bizarre circumstances behind their unlikely beef.
UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena | SUN 11 MAY 12PM AEST | Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena challenges Belal Muhammad for the Welterweight Championship | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
The revelation comes as Australia’s UFC featherweight king has also tipped Muhammad to be dethroned – and via finish – when he faces hyped Australia striker Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 this Sunday.
Currently on an undefeated tear stretching 17 straight fights – and all seven appearances inside the Octagon – Maddalena is looking to make history as the nation’s third UFC champ after Robert Whittaker and Volk.
Should the 28-year-old win gold in Montreal, Canada, it will also be the first time in history that two Australians have held UFC titles simultaneously.
And one man tipping the upset is Volk, who just happens to own that other strap.
Speaking via his Smack Talk podcast on Friday, the two-time Octagon champ said Maddalena’s striking will be too strong for a rival who, as a wonderful aside, he has also been beefing with for three years.
Speaking last year prior to UFC 304 – where Muhammad initially claimed UFC gold from Leon Edwards – Volkanovski even made headlines suggesting he was willing to play the role of back-up fighter for the main event.
Now on the eve of UFC 315, the Wollongong hero has again doubled down on claims that, stylistically, he matches well with the fighter dubbed ‘Remember The Name’.
And after spending time training with JDM recently, Volk insists his countryman shares the same attributes required to cause a title boilover this Sunday.
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Della Maddalena predicting early finish | 00:44
“Jack Della Maddalena, great boxing and great in the scrambles,” Volk said.
“You know Belal is going to try and take him down, he’s gunna want to grab hold of him, and he might get a takedown.
“But Jack’s ability to scramble back to his feet is good.
“Very good at body mechanics and awareness.
“It’s not like he knows all these flashy moves, he just understands mechanics.
“So even if he’s in a position he’s never been before, he can problem solve and find his own way.
“That’s also something I’ve always been able to do, and why I thought I was a hard match up for the Dagestani wrestlers like Islam (Makhachev).
“Because no matter what position you put me in, I’m going to figure it out.
“Jack is similar.”
Which is why Volkanovski is tipping his boxing will “eventually take control”.
“Early on he might not start landing,” the champ continued of Della. “But in the later rounds, I think his boxing will start to work for him.
“I think his combos start to land, body shots and everything start to come together from the second, maybe third onwards.
“I know some people may think the later rounds will favour Belal more.
“I just think Jack really starts to find his shots … and you’re going to see two belts back in Australia.
“That’s massive.”
And as for how JDM wins?
“He’ll need the ref to pull me off him!” | 02:21
“I think he can get the finish,” Volk continued.
“I think they’re going to be tough first rounds, but I think he starts to hurt Belal, starts to do some damage, body rips, things like that.
“I think it’s going to be a finish in those later rounds.”
Elsewhere, Volk also spoke about his own beef with the UFC welterweight champ.
Early on when asked how UFC 315 would play out, Volkanovski started by saying of JDM: “I think he is going to do good.
“Stylistically, this is a fight he can definitely win.
“Belal is great.
“Everyone loves to hate him, including myself …”
You hate him?
“I feel bad,” Volkanovski continued with a grin, “because I actually feel he’s been hard done by.
“But then he does stuff, and … I’ve tried, I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“I try to get along with everybody.
“(But with him) I just can’t.
“We seem to clash.
“And I’ll tell you where it started …”
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At which point, Volkanovski began to explain how, way back in 2022, he was asked by UFC officials to host a watch party for one of their blockbuster pay-per-views in Australia while, Stateside, Muhammad did the same.
And it was sometime during said UFC showcase that Volk received a text from those UFC types, asking if he could get online to chat with Muhammad via Facetime.
Only problem?
“I was busy barbecuing and didn’t see it,” he recalled.
“And because I didn’t answer the call – and I didn’t see it – then he’s done something …”
Specifically, Muhammad climbed onto social media and took aim at the champ who, at the time, was being talked up for a second fight with Max Holloway, the man he initially dethroned for the gold strap.
But guess what?
“Eventually I saw the message,” he said of the initial UFC request. “And so we ended up Facetiming.
“And Belal says ‘hey, what’s up? Don’t worry about my last tweet’.
“I was ‘what are you talking about?’. I had no idea.
“And he said ‘nah, nah, nah, never mind’ because he realised I had no idea what he was talking about.”
UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena | SUN 11 MAY 12PM AEST | Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena challenges Belal Muhammad for the Welterweight Championship | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
“I’m going to do your boy dirty!” | 04:49
Eventually however, Volk was alerted to said tweet.
“Because I never took the call, he ended up tweeting something like ‘you’re done, Max Holloway kicked your arse anyway’,” he continued.
“(Laughs) Full hating because I missed his call.
“Who does that?
“I accidentally miss your call, settle down.
“I remember sitting there thinking ‘are you seriously butt hurt because I missed your call?’.
“Then (later, again) I saw him hating because of the Islam fight.
“I thought why is he carrying on like this?”
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UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena | SUN 11 MAY 12PM AEST | Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena challenges Belal Muhammad for the Welterweight Championship | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Of course, Volkanovski also earned Muhammad’s ire when, before UFC 304, he offered to jump into the back-up role.
“Someone asked me ‘would you back up?’ – and I would,” the Aussie says.
“I reckon, stylistically, I could give Belal a hard time.”
Referencing Muhammad specifically now, he continued: “What pisses me off, you admit Islam does very good (grappling) against you, but he couldn’t do that stuff against me?
“He’s better than you in that world, so why are you acting so surprised?
“You can see where I’m going with this.
“Obviously there is a weight thing but that didn’t matter (in Volkanovski’s first fight with Makhachev), and I don’t think it’s going to matter with you.
“I don’t expect anyone to out wrestle me for five rounds.
“I’m going to be there the whole time.
“And I don’t think you have the knockout power to do damage, and I think I piece you up on the feet.
“So that’s where I was going with that and he didn’t like it.
“Got real butt hurt.
“Said he would smash my face or something.
“I can’t remember.
“I just said ‘say that to me face and see what happens’.
“But I mean, I’m willing to forgive as well.
“But at the same time, he’s now fighting my boy so that can wait.”
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