If Alexander Volkanvovski is forced to step in at UFC 280, he hopes it’s against Charles Oliveira.
Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) said he’s the official backup for the vacant lightweight title fight between Oliveira and Islam Makhachev on Oct. 22, meaning he will weigh in with the rest of the fighters in Abu Dhabi.
Volkanovski sees Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) as a formidable opponent, too, but if he does get the call to jump in as a replacement, he’d rather fight former champion Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) simply because he never lost his title.
“I’d say Charles would be the better opponent,” Volkanovski said on “The MMA Hour.” “People say stylistically yeah, but obviously there’s a lot of hype around Charles. Everyone considers him the champ, so then if I beat him then everyone’s going to consider me the champion.
“If I was to face Islam, I’m sure people would still say I’m champ, but I’m still going to have to beat Charles. You face Charles, it’s a bigger fight, because he’s got a lot of hype on him.”
If Oliveira and Makhachev do end up fighting as scheduled, Volkanovski still prefers a matchup with the Brazilian – here’s why.
“When I look at it as a competitor that wants to fight active, I think that’s Charles, as well, because I know Charles wants to fight very regularly,” Volkanovski said. “He wants to be active, as well, which I respect that a lot. I’m not saying Islam won’t, but I know Charles is very active and wants to be active. He’s even considering fighting in January. That’s really good for me, because again, I don’t want to wait.”
He continued, “I think my style alone is a good matchup for Charles. With Islam, I need to train – like right now, I’ve had to bring in wrestling coaches just so I’m ready for that takedown defense. I’m very hard to hold down, but I need to be ready for a couple of rounds of a strong wrestler, and I got a lot of respect for Islam. I’m expecting him to still get a hold of me, but I guarantee you I’m getting back up.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
