Alexander Volkanovski may be the UFC’s pound-for-pound king and featherweight champion but it does not seem to mean much to Daniel Cormier.
With the Australian preparing to face lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev in Perth at UFC 284, Cormier has cast doubt over Volkanovski’s hopes of a successful homecoming.
In fact, Cormier went as far as to declare that if Volkanovski wins it will be the biggest upset in the promotion’s history.
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“In my opinion, [if] Volkanovski wins this fight it’s the biggest,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.
“It’s bigger than anything we’ve seen because, I’m telling you, when you get into the details of this matchup, it seems a very hard match for Volkanovski to win, because his skillset is almost catered for a guy like Makhachev because of Makhachev’s ability to stand and also his size.
“Volk is a very big guy. Remember, we’ve spoken ad nauseam about how big he was when he played rugby, but that doesn’t matter. He’s still shorter. Because he’s shorter it makes for Makhachev to use the leverage against Volkanovski. I believe that this would be the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history.”
That speaks volumes to how highly Cormier thinks of Makhachev given how dominant Volkanovski has looked, even if you factor in the jump in weight class for the Australian.
Cormier has been called out previously by Justin Gaethje for being “incredibly biased” in his commentary of Makhachev’s fight given his close relationship with the Russian.
Naturally, those accusations of bias also spread on social media in the wake of Cormier’s bold prediction for the Volkanovski-Makhachev fight, something which he addressed on his show.
“Now some people will say I say that because of who Makhachev is and our friendship and everything,” Cormier said.
“I’m saying right now, watching a guy like Alexander Volkanovski who is the only champion in 2022 to defend his championship, he didn’t lose a round. He is the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. So some may ask why we’d consider it an upset.
“But I think it’s all in the match-up and all in the guy he’s fighting. I know I have a friendship with Makhachev but even if I didn’t, you can see who this guy is if you have two eyes. You can see how he matches up against pretty much everyone in the world if you have two eyes.
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“But you can also see how Alexander Volkanovski is who he is. What he has done over the course of the past year has been nothing short of amazing and that is why he is number one pound-for-pound.
“But we always ask the question, ‘What is number one pound-for-pound per se?’. It’s an ability and fighting style that translates weight classes. Volkanovski has a chance now to go to another weight class and become the champion.
“Unfortunately the guy in front of him is the number two pound-for-pound fighter in the world and many believe is number one. I believe it will be the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history.”
Cormier’s comments will only add an extra source of motivation for Volkanovski, who spoke late last year of his desire to prove that Makhachev can be stopped.
“No disrespect to them, but that’s why this fight is so big to me,” Volkanovski said on Michael Bisping’s ‘Believe You Me’ podcast.
“It’s the Dagestani wrestling, no one can figure this out, they’re on a roll and all that. Khabib’s there. Islam, what he’s been doing his last few fights. All that. I was chasing the champ-champ, that’s what motivated me before I knew who I was fighting.
“As soon as Islam won and the people talked, something was just like, bang, that’s all that I cared about is taking out Islam.”
Volkanovski is the betting underdog against Makhachev, who made a statement at UFC 280 when he submitted former champion Charles Oliveira in the second round.
Having already proven himself in the featherweight division Volkanovski has been looking for new challenges, with a shot at double-champ status being the natural next step in his career.
The opportunity to take out someone like Makhachev in the process though makes it that much more appealing.
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“This just makes when I get my hand raised, it just makes it so much bigger,” Volkanovski added.
“So that’s what’s motivating me right now, the fight itself. It’s going to be extra special getting both belts on them shoulders, but [also] who I’m taking out in the process.”
While Cormier may think Makhachev is the clear favourite, rising UFC star Sean O’Malley recently warned people may be underestimating Volkanovski ahead of Perth’s fight.
Speaking in an interview with Helen Yee, O’Malley conceded it is going to be “tough beating” Makhachev but added if anyone can do it, it would be Volkanovski.
“I do have a weird feeling that Alexander Volkanovski is going to be a lot bigger of a challenge than everyone thinks,” O’Malley said.
“Can he potentially get the job done against Islam? If Alex can’t, I don’t know who can.”
