UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski believes he still needs to do a lot of work before he can be regarded as the greatest featherweight of all time.
Volkanovski, who has defended his title twice since winning it by beating Max Holloway at UFC 245, will put it on the line against ‘The Korean Zombie’ this weekend at UFC 273. The Aussie holds wins over ‘Blessed’ and Jose Aldo, both of whom are regarded as 145-pound GOATs by many. Conor McGregor is also often mentioned in the featherweight GOAT debate for his undefeated run in the division that saw him capture the title by knocking out ‘The King Of Rio’ in only 13 seconds in 2015.
Alex Volkanovski Names His GOAT
Speaking to the media ahead of UFC 273 (as transcribed by MMA Fighting), Volkanovski said that although he holds a win over Aldo, he thinks the Brazilian is ahead of him and everyone else in the division’s GOAT debate for now.
“I believe I’ve still got more work to do [to be the greatest],” Volkanovski said. “I give Aldo the respect. To be champion for as long as he was, he’s incredible. No matter the opposition that I’m facing like himself, Max and that, I’m fighting absolute killers, it’s pretty clear.
“But at the same time, to be champion that long — there’s gonna be days you don’t show up, bad weight cuts, injuries, you name it. We’ve all done it and it’s a nightmare to not be on, on a day where you’ve got to go out there and defend your belt. For him to be a champion for so long, that’s saying something.”
When asked about McGregor, Volkanovski said that he places the Irishman at the bottom of his GOAT list because he doesn’t have any title defences to his name.
“You need [title] defenses, that’s the thing,” Volkanovski said. “I’m going to give him respect. The dude can fight. He made some bad decisions and all that type of stuff but he can fight. To take out Aldo in Aldo’s prime, that’s saying something as well. Aldo is still showing he’s still in his prime, he doesn’t age. But again, I feel like I’ve definitely done a lot more than him so out of all the champions, I’d say he would have to be at the bottom of the list. He ain’t gonna like that but whatever.”
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