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Alexander Volkanovski is currently in an interesting situation in the UFC. The UFC featherweight champion was successfully retained against Brian Ortega at UFC 266 and now waits for another contender to emerge. Featherweight contenders Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez are scheduled to fight next month in a title-eliminator bout. However, Volkanovski could be out of action longer than he hoped if the winner sustains a significant amount of damage.
After Volkanovski retained against Ortega, he said that he’d prefer staying active and wouldn’t be opposed to a lightweight bout. There are plenty of possibilities for Volkanovski at lightweight as he waits on the winner of Holloway-Rodrguez.
The featherweight champion moving up wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. In 2019, then-champion Holloway moved up to 155lbs and fought Dustin Poirier for the interim-lightweight championship. After Holloway was unsuccessful, he returned to featherweight and defended his title against Ortega.
This list will look at 5 possible opponents for Alexander 'The Great' if he moves up to lightweight.
#5. Alexander Volkanovski vs Beneil Dariush
Kicking off the list of potential opponents for Alexander Volkanovski at 155lbs is third-ranked lightweight Beneil Dariush. If Volkanovski wants to get a fight at lightweight early in the new year, Dariush would make perfect sense. Dariush hasn’t fought since May, when he defeated Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision at UFC 262. Since Dariush doesn’t currently have a bout scheduled, the promotion will be available to book the fight.
Volkanovski fighting the third-ranked lightweight would provide a better idea if he has a future in the division. Although Dariush would have the height disadvantage, Volkanovski wouldn’t look out of place at 155lbs. During Volkanovski’s days as a rugby player, he was well over 200lbs.
Dariush would be a great opponent because he is currently on a seven-fight win streak and looked impressive in his recent win over Ferguson. It was a dominant win for Dariush as he took Ferguson down and maintained control in all three rounds. The win over Ferguson was important for Dariush as it proved that he is among the top in the division.
Furthermore, Dariush has earned another high-profile fight and one with the current featherweight champion would be just that. Volkanovski-Dariush would be a win-win for both as a decisive win could earn them a lightweight title shot.
#4. Alexander Volkanovski vs Islam Makhachev
Another possible opponent for Alexander Volkanovski at lightweight is Islam Makhachev, who has risen up the ranks at 155lbs. Makhachev is one of the top fighters training under former UFC lightweight champion Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov and has many similarities. Makhachev has done an excellent job getting his opponents to the ground and submitting them.
Not only is Makhachev’s fighting style similar to Nurmagomedov's, but their manager Ali said he believes Makhachev is a better version. That’s incredible praise for the current fifth-ranked lightweight, considering Nurmagomedov retired unbeaten at 29-0.
Nurmagomedov has backed Ali Abdelaziz's claims and even said he believes Mahkachev is the best lightweight in the world. Both Volkanovski and Makhachev have similar MMA records. Volkanovski is 23-1 and Makhachev is 20-1, so experience wouldn’t be an issue.
Makhachev is scheduled to fight Dan Hooker later this month and another impressive win could earn him a lucrative fight. Volkanovski has excellent takedown defense and could pose many problems for Makhachev should they compete against one another. Based on Volkanovski’s performance against a high-level grappler like Ortega, a bout with Makhachev at lightweight would be intriguing.
#3. Alexander Volkanovski vs Rafael Dos Anjos
Rafael Dos Anjos would be an interesting opponent for Alexander Volkanovski at lightweight. The former UFC lightweight champion has had success competing at welterweight since changing weight-classes in 2017. However, after back-to-back losses to top contenders Michael Chiesa and Leon Edwards, RDA moved back down to 155lbs.
In his lightweight return, Dos Anjos defeated Paul Felder by split decision and was later awarded Fight of the Night. Dos Anjos looked great on his return and inserted himself back into the top-10 in the division.
Although Dos Anjos is 36, he still has plenty of fight left and could be a great test for Volkanovski. Alexander Volkanovski defeating a former lightweight champion could be a great addition to his already impressive resume. Some of Volkanovski’s most notable wins at featherweight include Jose Aldo, Max Holloway, Chad Mendes and Brian Ortega.
Volkanovski-Dos Anjos could take place primarily on the feet and turn into a slugfest. If Volkanovski could avoid Dos Anjos’ leg kicks, he could secure a takedown and takeover on the ground. With that said, Alexander Volkanovski and Rafael Dos Anjos are both well rounded, so their styles would make for an entertaining fight.
#2. Alexander Volkanovski vs UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira
Regardless of championships, Alexander Volkanovski vs UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira could be an appealing fight in the future. Based on Volkanovski’s performance against Brian Ortega, it’d be interesting to see if he could replicate that against another submission specialist.
Volkanovski has stated multiple times since his win over Ortega that he doesn’t want to be inactive. Oliveira is currently scheduled to defend his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. Depending on how that fight transpires, the UFC should keep all options open regarding a possible champion vs champion bout.
Volkanovski-Oliveira would still be a fight that makes sense at lightweight even if Poirier wins the title. Prior to competing at lightweight, Oliveira competed in the featherweight division, so size wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Throughout Oliveira’s career, he has showcased his exceptional grappling skills en route to submission victories. Since his UFC debut, Oliveira has won 14 fights by submission, the most in promotion’s history. Volkanovski will have his hands full should he get caught in a similar position as he did against Ortega.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski vs Conor McGregor
If Alexander Volkanovski ever decides to move up to lightweight full-time, a fight with Conor McGregor makes sense. Prior to his move to lightweight, McGregor began his UFC career as a featherweight and had a meteoric rise to superstardom. McGregor was a force to be reckoned with at 145lbs. He defeated Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier and Chad Mendes and culminated in his rise by knocking out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds.
After beating everybody there was to beat, McGregor moved up to welterweight and lightweight, and became a two-division champion. Alexander Volkanovski is slowly heading down the same path. The UFC featherweight champion has defeated former champion Max Holloway twice, Jose Aldo, and now Brian Ortega.
If Alexander Volkanovski continues defending his title, he will be in the discussion of greatest featherweight of all-time. What would really bolster that claim is if he moved up and fought McGregor. Volkanovski could be a very difficult fighter for McGregor to contain, whether it’s takedowns or submissions.
McGregor’s return to the UFC clearly hasn’t gone the way he wanted it. McGregor returned to fight Donald Cerrone prior to the pandemic and then remained inactive for over a year. McGregor would then lose back-to-back fights and in his most recent fight, he sustained an injury.
McGregor taking up a fight against Volkanovski wouldn’t be so far-fetched. On the contrary, both fighters would have a lot to gain. For Alexander Volkanovski, it’d be an opportunity on a big pay-day to stake his claim as being the greatest featherweight. For McGregor, picking up a decisive win over Volkanovski would etch his name in history by defeating another former champion.
Volkanovski might be a slight favorite heading into the fight, but it would definitely be an entertaining spectacle from the press-conferences to the fight itself.
