UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is willing to move up to welterweight to face Conor McGregor.
Volkanovski, 33, recently became the UFC's pound-for-pound No.1 fighter following Kamaru Usman's welterweight title loss to Leon Edwards last month. The featherweight champion has cleared out most of the top contenders and former champions in his division other than McGregor, who won the 145lb title by knocking out Jose Aldo in just 13-seconds seven years ago.
McGregor become a two-weight champion by moving up to lightweight after his record-breaking win over Aldo and has never never fought at featherweight since. Volkanovski, who started his MMA career as a middleweight, is open to moving up two weight classes to welcome McGregor's return to the octagon.
“It is a big fight and I’ve worked hard to be in a position I am now, to get a fight like that would be incredible,” Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia. "But then you’ve got that little bit on top where I’ve fought [Jose] Aldo, I’ve fought Max Holloway, every other champion in my division I’ve fought except for Conor McGregor. Even if it’s at 170, then I’ve done something that no one in my division has done."
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Volkanovski's teammate Dan Hooker thinks the fight makes sense especially given Volkanovski's status as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion. "There’s only one way to show pound-for-pound and that is to fight at any weight,” Hooker said. "I think Volkanovski is like head and shoulders the No.1 most likely I would say next in line to fight Conor."
“For me it would be him, then Michael Chandler and then maybe Charles Oliveira. I would say that’s the top three. He goes up to 170, McGregor comes back, I think that fight sells – he’s still Conor McGregor, people can say whatever they want to say about him, he’s still very dangerous and ... the guy’s following is incredible.”
McGregor competed at lightweight for his two losses against Dustin Poirier last year, but has ruled out a return to the weight class after bulking up to 190lb whilst recovering from his leg injury. The Irishman had called out Usman, before he lost his title, for his comeback fight in the hopes of becoming the first three-weight UFC champion.
'Notorious' is jetting off for his first major acting role in the coming days, as he is set to appear alongside Hollywood star Jake Gylenhall in a remake of Road House. Speaking with Mirror Fighting after his latest court case was pushed back to November, McGregor explained that he plans to get back fighting "soon" after he has competing filming for his acting debut.
