UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski seems to be embracing any questions about how much time he’s got left as champion ahead of his next title defense Saturday.
Volkanovski (26-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) puts his title on the line against unbeaten challenger Ilia Topuria (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the UFC 298 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) headliner at Honda Center in Anaheim. At most online sportsbooks, Volkanovski opened as a slight underdog – a rarity for a UFC champion.
During fight week, bettors seem to be backing the champ, leaving him now a slight favorite midweek. But still, there are doubters, and Volkanovski knows it. He cut a funny promo video mocking people who think he’s too old. But there’s got to be a reason he has doubters, even though his only slip-ups have been when he’s challenged for the lightweight title, and never at 145 pounds.
Why isn’t he getting as much respect as most champs seem to get, particularly against an opponent who has a nice record, but doesn’t have the same kind of resume as Volkanovski? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura break it down with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode on YouTube or in podcast form below.
