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The incumbent UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will defend his title against Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273 on April 9. With this pay-per-view drawing near, it's important to recognize the performances that have led Volkanovski to this highly-esteemed position that has him headlining such an event.
From rugby player to mixed martial arts champion, 'The Great' has always been a determined person that works hard for what he wants. His UFC career shows this in spades, as he's had no easy run for gold.
Jose Aldo and Max Holloway are the two best featherweights in UFC history. Volkanovski rose through the rankings and was able to defeat both of them after five-round brawls. While it takes a little more than that to put oneself in the conversation for who is the best featherweight, he's on the right track.
A victory over 'The Korean Zombie' will only propel him further into the featherweight GOAT status. While his opponent is quite the threat, it's largely expected for the Australian fighter to keep his firm grip on the belt come April 9. Volkanovski looks to be consistent in regards to his perfect record with the organization, so let's delve into some of these bouts that led him to where he is today. Here are five of the best UFC performances of Alexander Volkanovski.
#5. UFC featherweight - Darren Elkins
'The Damage' is amongst the toughest fighters in MMA history. Frequently down but never out, Elkins remains one of the toughest fighters to defeat, as his durability typically holds up and he just gets stronger as the fight goes on.
Volkanovski, however, did his best to take him out. The first round of their meeting saw many moments where the fight was on the verge of being over. Volkanovski let his boxing prowess show, hurting Elkins on the feet. The submission attempts were quite tight, too.
In order to snap the 6-fight win streak of Elkins, Volkanovski had to remain poised and show that he can easily keep this pace over the course of three rounds. He covered all bases with this performance. Great takedown defense, sharp boxing, endurance against a fighter like 'The Damage' and he remained relaxed throughout the whole fight. This performance often flies under the radar as Volkanovski has fought some bigger names in his career, but this is the one that really elevated 'The Great' to that next level of featheright competition.
#4. Chad Mendes
En route to his title fight, the Australian was slated against former title-challenger Chad Mendes. It was a fight that really got fans of the sport excited. Two fighters of similar style and goal trying to build their name off of each other.
'Money' and 'The Great' lived up to the hype, as this fight was an absolute slugfest for as long as it lasted. Volkanovski dealt with the most adversity he'd had to deal with thus far into his career as the power of Mendes found the Australian's chin.
Volkanovski is tough, though. He worked his way through the hot water and was able to keep the pace that Mendes was perhaps not ready for. Late into the second round, the former title challenger succumbed to 'The Great' and his powerful shots.
#3. Max Holloway 1
A title was slated against the reigning champion and arguably the best featherweight to ever fight, Max Holloway. The challenger from Australia was able to show 'Blessed' some weapons that he didn't quite have the answer for.
The most important part of these weapons was the leg attack. Kick after kick, this seemed to compromise the striking and movement of Holloway. Overall, the attack and gameplan of the challenger made the champion severely uncomfortable in this attempt to keep hold of his championship belt.
Many thought that 'Blessed' would lay claim to the title for years to come, considering that he's still amongst the younger side of the roster. Volkanovski made him look stale and thwarted most of any success Holloway could've found in this title defense. As five rounds went by, the City Kickboxing fighter didn't show any signs of slowing down until the final minutes, which is very impressive considering his competition that night.
#2. Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo is one the best featherweight fighters of all time. He was the first featherweight champion in the UFC and the pride of Brazil. Aldo's career is deserving of any and all superlatives one could muster.
When facing Volkanovski, the implication of this bout was that the winner would get a crack at the then-champion, Max Holloway. Seeing as Aldo had already lost to him twice, he needed to put an emphasis on this performance. Beating Aldo is very difficult, but Volkanovski may have entered this fight as hungry as ever.
Regardless, 'The Great' was able to shut down the Brazilian's attempt towards the title. Speedy kicks and a great pace neutralized the former champion and rendered him without any answers to the puzzle that is Volkanovski.
#1. Brian Ortega
In what was one of the best fights in UFC history, Volkanvoski made the whole world acknowledge his determination to keep the title attached to his name. The build-up to this fight was huge. The two were scheduled to fight in early 2021 but circumstances forced the bout to be rescheduled.
Ortega and Volkanovski would meet, but not before coaching opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter. This drove more of a wedge between the two combatants and it rolled over into media coverage prior to the fight. With the animosity out in the open, fans were more invested in this bout than when it was originally scheduled.
Intense walk-outs precursed what was an all-out war. The Australian looked better than ever as his volume began to batter his adversary. This wouldn't be an easy win for the Australian, as Ortega proved to be problematic for him, especially in the third round.
This round would go down as one of the best rounds the MMA world has ever seen. A deep guillotine choke was locked in and 'The Great' looked all but comfortable. Ortega has a reputation of using his jui-jitsu to win fights that he was losing prior, so fans were on their feet awaiting the tap from the champion. This never happened, as Volkanovski was able to escape. He continued to escape Ortega's submission attempts and landed at will until the end of the fifth round.
