×

1223
1224

Alexander Volkanovski: I've earned a shot at lightweight title (espn.com)

submitted by Plankerwoodsyes

top 200 commentsshow all 477
sorted by:
best
topnewcontroversialoldq&a

[–]lolparty247 292 points293 points  (8 children)

I would like Tony Fergusons opinion on this.

[–]FattensI was here for GOOFCON 1: 2020 72 points73 points  (6 children)

Travelling in a fried out Kombi, In the octagon, took out the Zombie.

[–]mieczu12 35 points36 points  (5 children)

I said to Dana are you trying to tempt me

[–]HowAreWeNotInvited 29 points30 points  (4 children)

Of Venum coupons, I have a-plenty

[–]nassasanTeam Shevchenko 8 points9 points  (3 children)

And he said “Oh, as long as I can pay you 12k to show!”

[–]Fug_the_system 7 points8 points  (2 children)

handspeed made for quite a tussle, 5'6 and full of muscle

[–]Cockerel_Chin 47 points48 points  (0 children)

" Fucking 🇦🇺 Ridiculous "

[–]imbluedabudeedabuda 537 points538 points  (82 children)

The thing with the lightweight division is the champ hardly ever gets a break unless its self imposed (Conor and Khabib for various reasons). There are too many contenders, it is such a shark tank that by the time one set of contenders have been run through the division has already changed because of new up and comers.

Take Khabibs career. From In 2015 you had Michael Johnson, Donald Cerrone, Benson Henderson in the top 5. In 2016 you had Eddie Alvarez, RDA, Anthony Pettis, and NATE DIAZ in the top 5. Then in 2017 you had Barboza and Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson (Tony was around all these years in fact) coming in there. Then in 2018 to 2020 when Khabib retired you had Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Tony again. And then immediately after Khabib retired you had Chandler, Oliveira, Dariush and now Makhachev. And we all know Tsarukyan, Gamrot and Fiziev are coming soon.

New SETS of contenders emerge at LW every year. So going back to Volk, how do we determine whether he jumps in over other lightweight contenders when there's always a fresh stream of deserving contenders AND he has to make sure he isn't logjamming his own division as he said.

[–]RiFume 92 points93 points  (10 children)

When has a champion ever had to fight contenders in the weight above instead of the champion straight away? McGregor and Max both moved up to immediate title shots, to deny Volk the same would be ridiculous

[–]sbb618 40 points41 points  (1 child)

Izzy too

[–]PerfectlySplendid 11 points12 points  (0 children)

LHW isn’t nearly as stacked with contenders deserving a title shot.

[–]imbluedabudeedabuda 33 points34 points  (2 children)

I'm not saying Volk has to do anything. Im asking, using as neutral language as I can, that if it were a egalitarian and meritocratic system what would the right time be because the LW division is crazy. We all know the UFC is not always meritocratic.

In any case, Max got the first title shot after 1. the champ got stripped. 2. the number 1 contender tore his ACL. That's 2 fighters ahead of him out of the way. The second title shot Max got was essentially a number 1 contender fight against Poirier.

Using less neutral language now, we all know the real reason why Conor got a shot, and it's definitely not because he had deserved it.

[–]SalamanderPete 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Is it THAT crazy tho? After Gaethje gets his ts we have Islam and Dariush left, who might fight eachother for the shot, and after that maybe Fiziev somewhere in the future? I def could see a case being made to have Volk fight the winner of Charles vs Gaethje somewhere in August/September while Islam vs Dariush fight around the same time to get the shot at the winner

[–]VoltaireBickleTeam Cruz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don’t know, I look at it like a champion vs champion fight could in theory take precedent if both are very dominant in their respective divisions.. I see it as this is a fight for the pound for pound rankings which individual fights rarely do since they are within divisions

load more comments (5 replies)

    [–]Darshan-RajTeam Namajunas 254 points255 points  (38 children)

    Looking at the names here, it's such a shame Conor stifled the careers of so many in like 3 years of his "title reign". Tony and Khabib were eating contenders left and right then. By the time Conor was done parading, lion's share Khabib's career was done and Tony got toppled violently :(

    [–]sktchld 182 points183 points  (19 children)

    Khabibs career could be in full swing still. He chose to walk away because he promised his dad, or was it his mother. I can't remember.

    [–]imbluedabudeedabuda 188 points189 points  (12 children)

    Khabib is unironically one of the biggest 'what ifs' in combat sports history when you think about it:

    He entered the UFC at 23 but missed 2-3 years due to injury, 1 year because Conor disappeared, 1 year because he stupidly jumped Dillon Danis, 1 year because of COVID, and then retired at age 32 after his dad died.

    [–]DatBoiEBBI caught them hands 105 points106 points  (0 children)

    Not to mention all the failed attempts at making the Ferg fight

    [–]TheOldGran 31 points32 points  (2 children)

    In an alternate universe he's the one who destroyed Pettis instead of RDA and he's the one who choked out McGregor instead of Diaz. In a weird way his injury allowed Mayweather vs. McGregor to exist

    [–]robcapYan Stan 29 points30 points  (7 children)

    He'll already go down as one of the best fighters ever, but he could also have been one of the greatest.

    [–]muricabrbThailand 20 points21 points  (0 children)

    Iirc Khabib and his father's plan was to retire at 30 - 0 anyway but that could have changed depending on the situation and the money... Sadly all that went away due to his dad's early passing because of covid. He took the last one to dedicate it to his father and promised his mother that's the last time.

    [–]moostaashii 51 points52 points  (2 children)

    His father passed away. His mother made him promise to retire.

    [–]LilUziSquirt42069 34 points35 points  (1 child)

    My understanding is his mother was struggling with the death of his father and the absence of khabib due to training and he promised her he would retire

    [–]Psyclipz 24 points25 points  (0 children)

    I heard it was because his mum used to worry and stress for every fight. He was worried about negatively impacting her health and that's why he promised her. Because he wanted as much time as he could and money wouldn't buy any more time with her so what's the point in fighting any more.

    [–]Darshan-RajTeam Namajunas 14 points15 points  (0 children)

    I'm talking in hindsight. Imagine 2016 champ Khabib would've had atleast 6 defenses.

    load more comments (1 reply)

      [–]banquofAlready got 3 dicks though 11 points12 points  (0 children)

      Toppled violently by that cable

      [–]slovakiansledgehammrDC's new belt is the lap band 6 points7 points  (0 children)

      You are my hurricane…

      [–]derps_with_ducks 6 points7 points  (1 child)

      Conor was laying electrical cable. Fuck me backwards. It all makes sense now.

      [–]EchoMike1987 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Proper 12 volt cable.

      [–]Spaceman_Hex 10 points11 points  (10 children)

      Bad guy does bad things to the sport. Only thing we can do now is enjoy the crushing defeats he will endure through the end of his career.

      [–]Imakesalsa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

      Meanwhile Dana's messing with the flyweight division in the same manner

      load more comments (2 replies)

        [–]andrewjohn03905 3 points4 points  (0 children)

        I mean depending if Charles is still champ if he beats Justin the only other people after will be the winner if beniel/ islam (if you were wondering Dana said he’s looking to rebook that fight in the summer) after that no one else DESERVES a title shot yes there are new guys but arman or fiziev or gamrot don’t deserve one, if Charles ends up beating Justin then islam or dariush in October there’s a window of opportunity AFTER those 2 title fights have been completed that Charles or the champ at that time can go for volk

        [–]BugsmokeThis is not my bus 8 points9 points  (0 children)

        He’s got an argument for it from his side, he’s the clear best at 145, with Max just below him. Then there’s a bit of a gap in skill between the next set. So it really comes down to there being time for a 155 title shot.

        [–]Verisian- 17 points18 points  (14 children)

        This seems like a reason just to give Volk the shot then 😂

        If there's no good time...just do it. Who doesn't want to see Volk get challenged by someone not named Holloway?

        [–]judokalinkerNorth Korea -3 points-2 points  (13 children)

        Who doesn't want to see Volk get challenged by someone not named Holloway?

        I do, but there are 12 people in the top 15 tanked contenders that Volk hasn't fought. Literally, he has only fought 3 of the current top 15 guys (yes, they were the top of the division and he beat the ). There is the entire rest of the division to clear out before he put another division on hold.

        [–]Peaceandlove_25 15 points16 points  (4 children)

        Wtf is this take?

        So the champ is expected to beat the entire top 15, (most of whom haven't yet fought each other) before considering moving up a division??

        Luckily Volk is an active champ and likes to fight more than once a year but if he took the route of most champs and fought once/twice a year that's at least another 5/6 years you expect him to stay fighting FWs before saying okay go ahead and move up to LW.

        [–]comstrader 2 points3 points  (0 children)

        There's only one Sonny Liston, ain't nobody clearing out the top 10 in their division again.

        load more comments (3 replies)

          [–]Verisian- 8 points9 points  (1 child)

          Who the fuck is going to beat Holloway to get a shot at Volk?

          Volk is the perfect candidate to go up because he's got an unbelievably good fighter at 2 to kill off everyone but the most worthy.

          [–]ragnar2434 33 points34 points  (5 children)

          did adesanya? did conor? did cejudo?

          give. me. a. fucking. break. Volkanovski has done as much as Adesanya and 10x more than Conor and Cejudo.

          [–]TheShadeTraveller 3 points4 points  (0 children)

          Currently other than Dariush and Islam, there are no contenders. All others have had their chance at gold and been finished

          [–]propercoink oink motherfucker -4 points-3 points  (8 children)

          I agree, as much as I love Volk he hasnt earned a title shot at LW until he takes out a LW top 5 imo. But then again its a very risky play which is why hes asking for that title shot. As we saw even Izzys LHW title shot wasnt so warranted a LHW top 5 couldve taken him out. Jumping up weight and getting a title shot straight away isnt warranted skill wise only monetary wise like McGregor.

          [–]ragnar2434 24 points25 points  (0 children)

          dumb take. the number of title defenses and win streak he currently has gives him the right to challenge anyone. period.

          hasnt earned it? you havent even looked up Volkanovski’s record, mate.

          [–]BnSMaster420 5 points6 points  (0 children)

          When has a champion choosing to move up or down have to beat a contender first?

          [–]Imakesalsa 9 points10 points  (3 children)

          Volks win streak is double what izzys was when he went up weight. Volks also cleaned out the division

          [–]duckman273 9 points10 points  (1 child)

          Volks win streak is double what izzys was when he went up weight.

          No? Izzy was on a 20 fight unbeaten streak and 9-0 in the UFC

          [–]Imakesalsa 6 points7 points  (0 children)

          I stand corrected

          [–]SintChristoffel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

          I very much agree with you but LW is a different story compared to LHW.

          load more comments (2 replies)

            [–]BakedWizerdCanada 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            You’re making the mistake of looking at it like a sport.

            Dana will give him the shot because a “double champ” sells more than a division actually progressing the way it should and rightful contenders getting their shots.

            McGregor hasn’t won a fight at LW since 2016 - 5 years ago - and he’s still within the top 10 ranked at LW. It’s incredibly stupid but it’s unfortunately the way it works as of right now.

            Dan Hooker should realistically be ranked higher than McGregor

            Since Conor’s last win (at LW); Dan has 3 wins at FW (shouldn’t matter but Conor’s only win in the last 5 years is Cowboy at WW), 4 wins and 4 losses at LW.

            Conor has 4 fights in total at LW with only one of them being a win.

            load more comments (3 replies)

              [–]WOLFxSHARK 701 points702 points  (112 children)

              I would agree but the Lightweight division is too stacked currently

              [–]GOATAldoThis is sucks 285 points286 points  (103 children)

              I think this is a viable option after Islam gets his title shot, Volk vs Islam, Gaethje or Charles are all fire fights.

              [–]Doo-StealYour-HoChoi 142 points143 points  (91 children)

              I think he has a pretty decent chance against Oliveira. Little less of a chance against Gaethje, and almost No chance if Islam gets a hold of the belt first.

              [–]GOATAldoThis is sucks 228 points229 points  (71 children)

              I could see Volks speed and kicking game bothering Islam and he's freaky strong too, controlling him on the ground seems like a nightmare. I don't think it's fair to Volk to say he has no chance against Islam.

              [–]Doo-StealYour-HoChoi 127 points128 points  (51 children)

              I never think any fighter has "no chance" in a fight, that's why I said "almost". But I see Islam outgrappling Volk without much issue. Volk hasn't face a wrestler/grappler anywhere near Islam's skill level.

              [–]Octopotamus5000 22 points23 points  (11 children)

              Volk hasn't face a wrestler/grappler anywhere near Islam's skill level.

              It's the other way around.

              Volk easily handled Chad Mendes, a 2x All-American Div 1 college wrestling champ, who trained with the US Men's Olympic Team for their scrimmage sessions & finished as a runner-up at the NCAA titles in multiple weight classes.

              What level of wrestler has Islam ever faced? He hasn't even beat any of the top 3 wrestlers in his own weight class yet (Chandler/Gaethje/Madsen).

              [–]WhiskeyAbuseBullshido 2nd Dan 62 points63 points  (1 child)

              It's funny that Justin is still considered a wrestler. He's literally the second coming of pride wanderlei

              [–]RavenxMiyagi 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              There's a whole world of difference between a one dimensional D1 wrestler, and those rounded Dagestani grapplers.

              [–]chink135Team Nurmagomedov 23 points24 points  (0 children)

              Dagestan 1>>>>D1

              [–]Im-kinda-stupid 15 points16 points  (1 child)

              He out wrestled arman tsarukyan who is a better mma wrestler than mendes lol

              [–]luckman_and_barrisEDDIIIIIIEEEEEEE! 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Dont get me wrong, Volk's a beast but I'm still curious to see Volk face a grappling bulldog. That was just odd timing for Mendes. It was his 2nd fight after a 3-year layoff and had his foot out the door in hindsight. Still was competitive until he gassed out and completely gave up in the fight. So Volk fighting a grappler a weight up, regardless the memes, would be pretty fucking spicy.

              load more comments (4 replies)

                load more comments (39 replies)

                  load more comments (19 replies)

                    [–]Kimera25 41 points42 points  (9 children)

                    Justin is a much easier matchup for Volk than Olivera

                    [–]ThreeHourRiverMan 10 points11 points  (7 children)

                    Not disputing, but I'm a casual, so how do you figure?

                    [–]Kimera25 45 points46 points  (5 children)

                    Charles has a reach that seems unfair over Volk with wild submissions. Justin is gonna stand and bang and Volk would welcome it imo

                    [–]LaconicGirth 30 points31 points  (3 children)

                    Ortega but bigger

                    [–]LocoCoopermar 8 points9 points  (2 children)

                    Yeah if he gets caught like he did vs Ortega it's most likely over against Charles.

                    [–]Byrneside94 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                    As if to say Ortega doesn’t have wild bjj skills. If anything the Ortega fight should just show that Volk could beat Charles. Wild card is probably the size difference and at I would say Charles is considerably more dangerous on his feet. (Then Ortega.)

                    Justin seems like a garbage matchup for Volk. Dude is down to bang and has an Iron chin. Leg kicks could really slow Volk down and the power difference seems to be largely in Justin’s favor. I think Justin is a harder matchup for Volk then Charles. Both are super tough fights either way.

                    [–]Th1sd3cka1ntfr333 piece with the soda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                    It was most likely over vs Ortega too. Camt believe he got out of it still. I never count him out now, I've been wrong too many times.

                    load more comments (1 reply)

                      load more comments (1 reply)

                        [–]hokumjokum 5 points6 points  (0 children)

                        Toootally. people still give gaethje way too much credit sometimes. Olives has elite BJJ and a big reach advantage, so outstanding with his grappling that he’s now champion. Gaethje will swang and bang. Volk is IMO maybe P4P best right now and beats Gaethje 4/5 fights

                        [–]SometimesImFunnyMan 5 points6 points  (6 children)

                        Again you are doubting Charles. When will he get his respect?

                        [–]Doo-StealYour-HoChoi 5 points6 points  (5 children)

                        I give him plenty of respect, in fact I would favor him to beat Volk. Saying Volk has a decent chance is disrespectful to Charles?

                        [–]mwhelan182 11 points12 points  (1 child)

                        What if.. And hear me out here..

                        Islam got hit in the face hard enough that he was separated from his conciousness?

                        Wild idea, but..?

                        [–]chunguskhanate 21 points22 points  (0 children)

                        dunno man that sounds like a hate crime to me

                        load more comments (11 replies)

                          [–]Imakesalsa 10 points11 points  (1 child)

                          So what if it's too stacked. Let the man bang

                          [–]No_Knowledge_8802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                          You summed it up perfectly

                          load more comments (5 replies)

                            [–]appletinicyclonetactical thiccness 85 points86 points  (17 children)

                            I miss zabit so much man

                            What are you doing mate

                            Ariel seemed to indicate zabit quit because of a split between faith and fighting but I'm not so sure. As of Feb there was news out there saying he's training for a return

                            [–]porrapaulaoHow long must I wait? 2020 edition 46 points47 points  (3 children)

                            By now I 100% consider him to be retired, would love to be wrong tho

                            [–]jfsoaig345 15 points16 points  (0 children)

                            Same. I'm done being edged and blueballed by Zabit news, for the sake of my mental health I've pretty much emotionally accepted that he's not coming back. Yair/Zabit would've been fireworks.

                            load more comments (2 replies)

                              [–]n_reedus 0 points1 point  (10 children)

                              Same man. The guy is so talented and my prediction would’ve been him kicking volkanovskis head off

                              [–]joonjoon 40 points41 points  (0 children)

                              Bro in a 5 rounder he's not above the levels of Yair/KZ or Max. We've never seen him not finish the 3rd looking like he's about to pass out.

                              [–]UXNick 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                              Not a chance, Zabit is yet to prove he can make it past two rounds. Unless Zabit gets a freak KO, Volko would absolutely smoke him in the final three rounds, and maybe even the first two too.

                              [–]SketchyChickenGOOFCON 1: 2: Pandemic Boogaloo 9 points10 points  (6 children)

                              Hating volk in multiple comments, you suck bro lol

                              load more comments (1 reply)

                                load more comments (2 replies)

                                  [–]No_Knowledge_8802 225 points226 points  (19 children)

                                  The underestimation of Charles Oliviera again

                                  [–]Jan_Micheal_Vincent 79 points80 points  (2 children)

                                  It won't end until he's run an absolute gauntlet lol.

                                  [–]No_Knowledge_8802 9 points10 points  (0 children)

                                  I don't know how great he will be at the 155 Ib division but It starts somewhere

                                  load more comments (1 reply)

                                    [–]imbluedabudeedabuda 53 points54 points  (10 children)

                                    by Volk? or this sub? Pretty sure most of this sub has Oliveira beating Gaethje no? If you're referring to this sub having Volk over Oliveira I feel this sub also has Volk beating most of lightweight anyway.

                                    Truth is Volk is one of the best p4p fighters alive (if not the best) and just came off one of an incredibly impressive title defence, fans are always going to be overly high on him in the immediate aftermath.

                                    Give it some time man.

                                    [–]siderealpanic 11 points12 points  (9 children)

                                    Yeah, you don’t have to underestimate Oliveira to think he’d lose to arguably the best fighter in the world. I’d say Charles would be Volk’s second hardest matchup at LW behind Islam - who Alex should absolutely never fight with given the styles and size difference.

                                    People really overestimate Gaethje and Poirier to be honest. I think Volk batters them both pretty easily.

                                    [–]bvsshevdBlame me if Khabib/Tony falls through 13 points14 points  (6 children)

                                    You think Volk easily batters Poirier? Lmao on what grounds? When has he ever shown to be an easy match up against any striker at LW?

                                    [–]comstrader 4 points5 points  (2 children)

                                    Wild take, I actually slightly favour Dustin. Volk is used to overpowering his opponents, and he'd have a huge reach disadvantage against one of the best strikers around.

                                    [–]Count-Rarian 5 points6 points  (1 child)

                                    Volk has long arms for being 5'6".

                                    71.5 inches to Poirier's 72 inch reach.

                                    [–]comstrader 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                    What a gorilla

                                    [–]siderealpanic 1 point2 points  (2 children)

                                    Did you see Volk’s last fight? Poirier is a slow LW (who looks more stiff and unathletic every fight) and Volk is one of the quickest FWs. There’s a massive chasm in athleticism that would be hard to bridge even if Volk wasn’t the better striker outright (which I think he is).

                                    Volk is a good enough wrestler to keep him off and threaten takedowns if needed and Poirier doesn’t have the cardio to last if there’s too much grappling.

                                    I think Volk would struggle against some of the grappling focused LWs and there are some younger FWs who could cause him a lot of problems (Allen seems like he could be a bad matchup), but he has a strong case for being the best striker in the sport. Poirier doesn’t have any concrete advantages in any area of that matchup.

                                    [–]Majestic-Mirror 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                    You think Poirier is getting worse?

                                    load more comments (1 reply)

                                      [–]goon_squad_godAll My Heroes Are Dead 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                      I think Volk batters them both pretty easily.

                                      Volk "battering" Justin would be a sight to see.

                                      [–]ORCA_WoNMMA Civilian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                      I see no way where Volk batters Gaethje easy lol. Gaethje is a beast and hits really fucking hard, has great TDD and his kicks are a nightmare. He would be an extremely tough fight for Volk.

                                      [–]Imakesalsa 15 points16 points  (1 child)

                                      Who says he's underestimating Charles? Volk just wants a shot at earning another belt after cleaning out his division or does he bot get the chance cause he's not McGregor?

                                      [–]gintokireddit 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                                      Charles is a fucking dog. I mean, who the fuck gets to the UFC when they have an eye problem causing them to have triple vision? Actually, Oliveira vs Gaethje must be the first title bout between two guys who came up not being able to see their opponent from across the octagon. BMF 2.0.

                                      His style and lankiness also almost makes up for Tony never winning the undisputed belt :(

                                      load more comments (2 replies)

                                        [–]LehenLong 153 points154 points  (23 children)

                                        No. It's unfair to Islam and dariush.

                                        [–]LuckyWarriorThis isn’t political, this is monster energy 68 points69 points  (7 children)

                                        Beneil getting hurt was unfair to Islam

                                        Now Islam gonna get skipped by a former 200 lb man

                                        [–]FriendlyGhost08 24 points25 points  (6 children)

                                        Islam isn't clearly next. Dana saif they were gonna rebook the Dariush fight

                                        [–]XecutionerNJTeam Volkanovski 50 points51 points  (5 children)

                                        That's Dana punishing Islam because he's petty

                                        [–]FriendlyGhost08 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                                        Yeah but it is what it is

                                        [–]Chadlynx 11 points12 points  (3 children)

                                        It's also cringe of Islam to call out RDA then not follow through.

                                        [–]XecutionerNJTeam Volkanovski 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                                        Thats what Dana said, I cant trust him at all. Islam is ready but asking for cash so Dana wants him punished.

                                        [–]wannabe_engineer69 24 points25 points  (1 child)

                                        Thats not what happened though. Dana did not accept Islams conditions (money) and made it look like Islam backed off.

                                        [–]XecutionerNJTeam Volkanovski 14 points15 points  (0 children)

                                        The exact same thing is happening now with Jon Jones "he's scared" etc. But really, Jon just wants to get paid.

                                        Why did it take so long between Colby winning the interim belt and him getting a shot at the real belt? Because he asked for money.

                                        Dana is constantly doing this to try stop people wanting more money and especially to fighters who complain publicly or promote a union.

                                        [–]Ionic-NovaRepublic of Korea 16 points17 points  (0 children)

                                        I don’t Beneil has a very good argument for a title shot after beating the corpse of Tony Ferguson. If Volkanovski can beat Holloway a third time I think he has a much better argument for getting a title shot at 155.

                                        I see it Makhachev > Gaethje > Volkanovski > Dariush. Depends obviously on how things shake up.

                                        [–]dielawn87 37 points38 points  (8 children)

                                        Fuck outta here with Dariush deserving a title shot. He's beaten nobody worth a title shot.

                                        [–]TheMightySloth 28 points29 points  (7 children)

                                        Has Islam?

                                        [–]420_PUNCH_YR_GRANDMAGreg Hardy did nothing wrong 25 points26 points  (3 children)

                                        Islam’s streak is impressive and his ceiling seems very high, but his best win is over Dan Hooker.

                                        [–]jfsoaig345 5 points6 points  (1 child)

                                        Definitely not. His resume is not nearly as good as people make it out to be, you haven't proven that you're championship material yet when your best wins are a mix of fringe top 15-20 guys and a short notice Dan Hooker. He needs that one real elite win like Khamzat did with Burns but you'll still have people desperately clinging on to the idea that he definitively deserves a title shot because he's on a 9-fight streak consisting of mid-tier fighters.

                                        load more comments (1 reply)

                                          [–]appletinicyclonetactical thiccness 9 points10 points  (4 children)

                                          It's unfair to Islam but it would follow the Conor McGregor tradition though

                                          [–]theyoloGod 15 points16 points  (3 children)

                                          I mean Alex isn’t close to the draw Conor is so not really an equal comparison

                                          [–]RiFume 0 points1 point  (2 children)

                                          Max got an immediate title shot, so did Isreal, DC, TJ, Cejudo, Conor. No champ has ever had to fight contenders, they’ve all jumped straight into a title shot

                                          [–]ziki6154 8 points9 points  (0 children)

                                          Tbf to Max the first time he got a shot at the LW belt was at UFC 223 when Tony got injured. So they didn't have many options to begin with.

                                          The second time was when Tony declined a fight for tge interm belt against Dustin so again Max stepped up.

                                          It wasn't like the others.

                                          [–]PostsAnimalGifsFuck your advice! 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                          I don't think Holloway is the same thing though? Didn't he jump in on short notice in an interim title fight after other alternatives had fallen through?

                                          [–]dumbparlay 132 points133 points  (33 children)

                                          Not a big fan of these champs getting instant title shots in other divisions. Beat a contender first

                                          [–]LehenLong 99 points100 points  (9 children)

                                          They should only make champ champ fight when both of them cleaned out their division.

                                          [–]WuTomTeam Buddeh 41 points42 points  (2 children)

                                          Volk Vs Usman confirmed

                                          [–]TheDestructionator 32 points33 points  (1 child)

                                          Usman is too small

                                          [–]Poopybuttsuck 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                          Exactly why we need Volk vs Izzy instead

                                          [–]andrewjohn03905 2 points3 points  (3 children)

                                          Volk did that already who else should fight for the title? Giga? Calvin? Arnold Allen? 😂😂

                                          [–]scottydog771 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                          I mean as Brit can we give him Arnold Allen. I just want to see one of our boys fight for a title again.

                                          [–]UXNick 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                          True. Each of these guys need at least one more win before a title shot, same with Yair. Only person you could match Volko up with is Max, but who knows what's happening there, Max doesn't seem too hungry.

                                          load more comments (1 reply)

                                            load more comments (2 replies)

                                              [–]KillingMycroftly 49 points50 points  (5 children)

                                              I mean that's the precedent. Can't remember anyone but Anderson going up for a non title fight. I think the general public would unironically be confused to see Volk vs Chandler headlining a fight night or something lol

                                              [–]CourageousUpVoteD’arce Knight Rises 10 points11 points  (3 children)

                                              The general public doesn't know either fighter. Olievera who? Vs. Volkanovksi who?

                                              [–]ragnar2434 18 points19 points  (0 children)

                                              Adesanya who? Ngannou who? Are they fighting Jake Paul or Logan Paul? Who’s Conor fighting next?

                                              [–]OatcreamIPA 6 points7 points  (1 child)

                                              General public doesn’t know many/ if any fighters. Volk should headline next Aussie card for sure, doesn’t look like Dana wants anything but North American spots for near future thought

                                              [–]BIG_YETI_FOR_YOUSeychelles 4 points5 points  (0 children)

                                              I think Dana was coming down or something during that interview since he's mixing news articles up from 2+ years ago

                                              load more comments (1 reply)

                                                [–]2073_ 10 points11 points  (2 children)

                                                I'd watch super fights every saturday if it was possible. We need more of them, not less.

                                                [–]Altair1192 2 points3 points  (1 child)

                                                they aren't "super" if they're on every weekend

                                                [–]ragnar2434 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                                                who the f* is this guy? Volk is currently on the 2nd longest win streak in all of the UFC.

                                                you’re f*cking crazy if you think Dana will tell him “contender first”

                                                [–]Imakesalsa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                Yet someone who loses the title can get an automatic rematch because the initial fight was "close"

                                                load more comments (12 replies)

                                                  [–]UBeleeDisTheFifth 31 points32 points  (1 child)

                                                  Can there be a limit of 5 defences before Champ champ is even an option. I love Volk, he definitely is head and shoulders above the rest. He clearly can compete at 155, think he used to. I know if Ortega beats Yair then options are low but don’t take away anyones chances at 155.

                                                  [–]pantheraaAustralia 8 points9 points  (0 children)

                                                  problem is that fight isn't even announced yet, its contingent on Yair winning, and who knows how long he'll need before he can get booked with Volk. In the mean time you have a champ that is basically unscathed and waiting. Might as well let him go up to 155, it lines up with Charles and Justin fighting soon. By the time the 145 division figures out a no 1 contender, Volk would be available barring any injuries

                                                  [–]blabster2022 13 points14 points  (3 children)

                                                  He wants to permanently wear out his body now rather than later.

                                                  [–]KillingMycroftly 10 points11 points  (2 children)

                                                  Yeah honestly if he's not going to bulk up for this he's just gonna get big boyed by the LW's that walk around at 190. And if he's going to bulk up the wear and tear from cutting back and forth between the weight classes is gonna fuck him up

                                                  [–]MuayTeepTeam Nova União 19 points20 points  (1 child)

                                                  I don’t understand why everyone thinks you need to “bulk up” to effectively compete at a new weight class, Volkanovski was 167 against Mendes.

                                                  All he’d need to do is diet down less extremely, his speed would become an even bigger asset and he’d probably show up at 169-171 on fight day which is a respectable lightweight.

                                                  [–]sigrunscapegoat 57 points58 points  (15 children)

                                                  “He needs to prove himself in the division.”

                                                  [–]captaincumsock69Petr Yan did nothing wrong 30 points31 points  (0 children)

                                                  Cejudo would probably have more leverage if he was actually a champion right now.

                                                  [–]sad-sally-209 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                                  HAHAHHAHAHAHA my immediate thought

                                                  load more comments (13 replies)

                                                    [–]goodbyehouse 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                                                    Hell yeah that's a great idea. Get Volk against the winner either Charles or Justin and Islam and Benil can rebook that fight.

                                                    [–]dzone25 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                                                    It's a bit of a weird spot to be in - he's basically cleared FW but both BW and LW are super stacked and have a list of contenders waiting for a shot. Unless a big name goes to FW to challenge Volkanovski, like a Cejudo return or something, he's basically stuck with a 3rd fight vs Max. Not that anyone is complaining, we all wanna see it again. If they go with Max vs Volk, I REALLY hope he gets his wish of fighting in Australia. Dude deserves that HUGE homecrowd pop, it would really take his stock to the next level and make him a star.

                                                    [–]romabreuSend location 21 points22 points  (3 children)

                                                    Guys... Are we going to get Volkanovski vs Conor? I know it makes no sense but that's precisely why it could happen.

                                                    [–]dot___ 10 points11 points  (0 children)

                                                    i'd watch the hell out of that

                                                    [–]MotherLoveBone27"Daniel Cormier's shoe AMA" 17 points18 points  (0 children)

                                                    No way in hell would the UFC do this to McGregor.

                                                    [–]andrewjohn03905 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                    At featherweight or lightweight? Idk Conor’s technicallyyy still undefeated at featherweight 😂at lw there’s no need cus Conor’s not even champ or a top 3 contender

                                                    [–]Soularion 51 points52 points  (36 children)

                                                    I think it makes total sense. Volk has beaten everyone at 145. The only guy he really "needs" to fight is a guy he's already beaten twice, and one notably convincingly. Oliveira if he beats Gaethje will have beaten #1, #2 and #5.

                                                    Let's do Volk vs Oliveira/Gaethje late summer.

                                                    Put Dariush/Islam on the Abu Dhabi card for the next shot at 155 in the fall.

                                                    Give Max an interim title fight against, say, Arnold Allen.

                                                    Every division moves forward, clear contenders are made, and we get one of the best fights available in the sport.

                                                    [–]vigilanteadviceVettori 1, Izzy 0 16 points17 points  (23 children)

                                                    I see people keep saying this but 45 is pretty stacked. Styles make fights and volk has by no means “cleaned out the division” by beating aldo (whose not even in the division anymore) Chad (who now fights for BKFC) Ortega, Max (which is contested) and Zombie. There’s plenty guys i’d like to see fight for the title.

                                                    [–]Soularion 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                                                    I'd like to see him fight Allen or Yair (as you said before) but I don't think either have earned it. I'd love to see one of those guys fight Max (probably Allen, maybe Bryce Mitchell?) but I don't think anyone's ready for the title.

                                                    I think he's one title defense against Max from being totally undeniable in moving up. But I think he's arguably the best fighter p4p right now, he's had an incredible title reign, and him moving up still leaves both divisions with clear contender fights. It makes a lot of sense to me.

                                                    [–]_coed_Team Volkanovski 10 points11 points  (14 children)

                                                    whos challenging volk at 145

                                                    [–]vigilanteadviceVettori 1, Izzy 0 6 points7 points  (12 children)

                                                    I’d like to see Allen and Yair have a crack at some stage. Allen without a doubt.

                                                    [–]DeadZombie9GOOFCON 1: 2: Pandemic Boogaloo 39 points40 points  (8 children)

                                                    These guys need to earn their shots. Yair is coming off a loss. Allen has no top 5 wins. You have to make up charity title shots. Volk and Max are clearly a level above the rest.

                                                    [–]vigilanteadviceVettori 1, Izzy 0 1 point2 points  (7 children)

                                                    I just don’t personally enjoy the champs moving up unless it’s absolutely undeniable like Jon or GSP. Personally I don’t see volk beating charles or justin.

                                                    [–]Altair1192 7 points8 points  (6 children)

                                                    a lot of people didn't see AlJo beating Yan

                                                    [–]Soularion 9 points10 points  (1 child)

                                                    The issue with doing this in a division like 145 is that you will always have more guys. After Allen and Yair there'd be Ilia Topuria or Evloev or Josh Emmett or Calvin Kattar, and there's still Max around, and plenty of more prospects on the horizon.

                                                    He's beaten #1, #2 and #4 (even tho KZ is grossly over-ranked). The only "fresh blood" around who hasn't lost to one of those three guys is Arnold Allen & Bryce Mitchell, who haven't fought anyone elite yet.

                                                    [–]jfsoaig345 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                    Wouldn't say KZ's over-ranked. He knocked out Moicano who was like #5 at the time and he got his credit for effectively 49-46ing Yair as well. Lost to Ortega, who was coming off a title fight, then went on to defend his place in the top 10 by dominating Ige.

                                                    load more comments (1 reply)

                                                      load more comments (1 reply)

                                                        [–]-ci_Democratic People's Republic of Korea 4 points5 points  (2 children)

                                                        I think it's crazy that he's beaten 5 all time 145 greats in a row and has probably the most impressive run going in the UFC but people out there really be saying this shit

                                                        load more comments (4 replies)

                                                          [–]FriendlyGhost08 8 points9 points  (8 children)

                                                          Volk has beaten everyone at 145.

                                                          I don't understand how people keep saying this shit. Props to Volk for beating the clear contender but no he hasn't cleaned out his division at all

                                                          [–]Soularion 9 points10 points  (3 children)

                                                          He's beaten everyone who I feel deserves a title shot. Who's the next guy? Max Holloway for a third time. After that? Yair's coming off a loss. Kattar's solid and all but not an exceptional contender, one fight removed from an all-time loss. Arnold Allen hasn't really fought anyone in the upper echelons.

                                                          To some extent you can do this with anyone.

                                                          Usman hasn't beaten Edwards since Edwards got good. He hasn't beaten Khamzat, hasn't beaten Luque, hasn't beaten Belal, hasn't beaten Sean Brady.

                                                          But if Usman woke up tomorrow and wanted to fight at 185, hell yeah you do that.

                                                          [–]Embiidious 2 points3 points  (1 child)

                                                          You're right. Division is pretty much cleaned apart from Holloway 3. No one else deserves a title shot at the moment.

                                                          Don't think Holloway 3 is hyped as much as a Oliviera/Gaethje fight.

                                                          [–]Soularion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                          To me it's just a clearly very exciting, very high level fight with both divisions remaining alive. Seems great.

                                                          [–]FriendlyGhost08 5 points6 points  (0 children)

                                                          Difference is Usman has defended his belt more times and in better fashion. Even then, I never said Usman has cleared his division and I would personally like to see him stay at 170 for now.

                                                          Beating 2 clear contenders and one replacement =/= cleaning out the divisuon

                                                          [–]kblkbl165 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                                          The issue is he probably never will because the fighters below him are cleaning it themselves.

                                                          He’s in the same spot as Izzy where the only fights that make sense are rematches because there’s no one new in the top5.

                                                          load more comments (3 replies)

                                                            load more comments (3 replies)

                                                              [–]wtjones 11 points12 points  (0 children)

                                                              Already ducking CCC.

                                                              [–]DetectiveBaby_LegsHow long must I wait? 2020 edition 6 points7 points  (2 children)

                                                              I’m generally okay with champs of other divisions skipping the line if there are no other super deserving contenders but this definitely isn’t one of those situations. If Islam’s and Dariush’s title shot situation gets worked out then I could see it being somewhat reasonable but until Islam and/or Beneil get their title shots Volk should stay down.

                                                              [–]pantheraaAustralia 1 point2 points  (1 child)

                                                              Islam and Dariush just needs to book a fight to get the number 1 contender spot

                                                              [–]makswell 4 points5 points  (2 children)

                                                              It’s not the size of the dog in a fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog!

                                                              [–]DavefromflushingTeam Korean Zombie 5 points6 points  (8 children)

                                                              VOLK vs Chandler. You’re welcome.

                                                              [–]n_reedus 0 points1 point  (7 children)

                                                              Chandler would knock his head out

                                                              [–]Jim-20Kiss my whole Asshole 15 points16 points  (14 children)

                                                              Volk could make an argument for the title...if he first convincingly beats a top 5 contender. The top 5 especially are all killers - if he can beat any of them (Dariush, Poirier, Gaethje, Makhachev and Chandler as per the UFC website) first I'm all for it.

                                                              I get where he's coming from however - let the FW division do it's thing and have a fight for the interim title while Volk tries chasing that legendary two-title status.

                                                              [–]kblkbl165 13 points14 points  (0 children)

                                                              Poirier lost twice for the belt and is basically semi-retired looking for money fights and Chandler lost to the champion and the current contender, there’s 3 dudes in the picture for contention, one of them is already getting the fight. I see a very good timing for Volk to fight for the LW belt.

                                                              With Charles vs Gaethje happening, Makachev vs Dariush is the title eliminator, go past this defense and there’s literally no one left in LW with an argument for the belt in the next few months.

                                                              [–]cum_dawg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                                                              He can beat chandler

                                                              load more comments (12 replies)

                                                                [–]Herbstalk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                                I’d rather see Volk v Max again.

                                                                [–]yerawizardIMAWOTT 7 points8 points  (0 children)

                                                                I bet Max is feeling that disrespect right now lol

                                                                [–]vigilanteadviceVettori 1, Izzy 0 7 points8 points  (6 children)

                                                                People keen saying he’s cleaned out the division but id still like to see guys like allen and yair get a shot at some stage

                                                                [–]bencousinsfanAustralia 10 points11 points  (5 children)

                                                                Why Yair get a chance off a loss? Title shots aren't supposed to be charity, lad

                                                                [–]myglasscase 3 points4 points  (1 child)

                                                                at some stage

                                                                Also giving Volk a shot in a division he doesn’t keep in seems much more like charity, no?

                                                                [–]vigilanteadviceVettori 1, Izzy 0 5 points6 points  (2 children)

                                                                Well Volk literally just fought and his next opponent is more than likely Max. Which leaves time for people like Yair and Arnold. I wasnt suggesting we throw either of them at volk next. Hence why i said at some stage my man 🖤

                                                                [–]pantheraaAustralia 4 points5 points  (1 child)

                                                                the big question is max and wtf happened with him pulling out a day after the fight got announced. Dana's been super hush hush about it so there seems to be something more going on there

                                                                [–]vigilanteadviceVettori 1, Izzy 0 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                                                I tend to think it’s an injury he already knew he had and when he started a training a camp he realised he wasn’t quite as ready as he thought. It’s likely make or break for max in this one so he wants to make sure he’s at the absolute best he can be.

                                                                [–]AffectEconomy6034 4 points5 points  (0 children)

                                                                I mean considering when max moved up he had to fight dustin for interm first I'd say the same applies to volk

                                                                [–]versace_tombstone 4 points5 points  (0 children)

                                                                Volk is a beast, but Olives would absolutely maul him.

                                                                [–]TasteDeBallZach 2 points3 points  (1 child)

                                                                Volk looked super impressive on Saturday. But I don't think he's popular enough (yet) to warrant leapfrogging the other contenders for Dana to give him an instant title shot

                                                                [–]gravi-tea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                                I agree.... Has he beaten ANY current or previous lightweight contenders before?

                                                                [–]AlexJonesAdamsApple 2 points3 points  (2 children)

                                                                Remember when they made Anderson fight Irvin

                                                                [–]h-o-u-s-e 6 points7 points  (1 child)

                                                                That was just to counter program Affliction

                                                                [–]AlexJonesAdamsApple 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                                And because Dana wouldn’t let Anderson fight for the title immediately

                                                                [–]roscorp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                                                Imagine him getting a title shot before Islam hahaha

                                                                [–]McTrentonomous 4 points5 points  (0 children)

                                                                Tbh I disagree hard. Hasn’t even been fighting LW but thinks he deserves to skip the line? No thanks

                                                                [–]MotherLoveBone27"Daniel Cormier's shoe AMA" 3 points4 points  (2 children)

                                                                This dudes the best fighter in the UFC he can do what ever the fuck he wants in my opinion

                                                                [–]judokalinkerNorth Korea 1 point2 points  (1 child)

                                                                Can he stay in his division and defend his title?

                                                                [–]MotherLoveBone27"Daniel Cormier's shoe AMA" 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                                                                He said he would defend both titles at the same time because he essentially wouldnt need to cut weight for LW.

                                                                [–]lolparty247 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                                I would like Tony Fergusons opinion on this.

                                                                [–]brandkwame 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                                                I would definitely like to see this.

                                                                [–]Bleedstone_Music 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                                                                Let’s be real...Conor is gonna fight whoever wins the Gaethje/Charles fight ...

                                                                [–]Evening_Name_9140 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                                                True.

                                                                Book him vs mcgregor for the interim

                                                                [–]DespicableHunter -1 points0 points  (4 children)

                                                                At LW Volk would just be a weaker Chandler with better cardio. Doubt he would be champ there if he had to climb the rankings, depending on who is champ he could manage to get it though, especially if Gaethje wins. But likely won't happen, just too many contenders at LW.

                                                                [–]vigilanteadviceVettori 1, Izzy 0 12 points13 points  (1 child)

                                                                Even then he doesn’t have the wrestling and submission base that chandler has. Or likely the one shot power in his hands. Better striking without a doubt though.

                                                                load more comments (2 replies)

                                                                  load more comments (55 replies)