Former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanoski has the opportunity to regain the title at UFC 314 when he faces No. 3 ranked Diego Lopes with the vacant title on the line.
Volkanovski will enter the fight coming off back-to-back losses. Former middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker believes Volkanovski has the skills to beat Lopes but questions what Volk will show up on April 12th.
“I think the million dollar question is what Volk are we going to see in the octagon that night come UFC 314 because everyone was already talking about his losses to [Islam] Makhachev. His knockout. And then you back that onto the knockout with [Ilia] Topuria. You back that onto his age. As MMA fans like to do, as soon as he lost, they started throwing his age around and calling him a wash which is the silliest thing I’ve ever heard,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade Podcast.
“MMA fans are the best and worst as people. They really are. The truth is, he’s been out for awhile now. He’s coming off two loses in a row, Makhachev and Topuria. Bad losses the last couple. His age is a factor in this. Which Volk are we going to see in the octagon come UFC 314,” continued Whittaker.
“Makhachev 1 Volk I believe beats Diego Lopes. Volk’s skillset and just his composure, his toughness, his grit, his fight IQ, his ability to fight in the octagon is second to none. He’s amazing, but with all the other factors we looked into, what Volk are we going to see,” Whittaker said.
Whittaker would like to see the ‘savage’ Volkanovski was when he rose to the top of the division and had the title at UFC 314.
Related: Michael Chandler believes he has the skillset ‘to dominate’ Paddy Pimblett
“I see Volk going in there, using full skill sets, landing shots, going for takedowns, wearing Diego Lopes down, riding him for five rounds, and winning a decision. Or by getting him out of there in the later end of the rounds,” Whittaker said
“I can see him chopping that calf, doing his step-through left hand. I can see him pushing Diego backwards, dropping for doubles against the fence. He stopped using it as much once he was champ, except for against people like Yair [Rodriguez], he was bullying him with it. But he wrestled a lot in the beginning of his career and utilized it to great effect,” Whittaker added.
“I reckon we see a well-rounded, Volk top-tier skill set, and we have another champ in Australia.”
