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This weekend at UFC 276, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski produced arguably his best showing to date to defend his title against former kingpin Max Holloway.
With his rivalry with Max Holloway now firmly over, who should be next in line for UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski?
The big question, realistically, is whether ‘Alexander the Great’ has cleaned out the featherweight division, or whether there are still some challenges left for him at 145lbs.
With this in mind, then, here are five potential opponents for Alexander Volkanovski following his latest win.
#5. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Josh Emmett
Given that Alexander Volkanovski has already beaten No.1-ranked featherweight Max Holloway and No.2-ranked Brian Ortega, and No.3-ranked Yair Rodriguez is booked to face Ortega later this year, one option for the champ could be the next-highest ranked contender, Josh Emmett.
‘The Fighting Falmer’ is coming off a big win over Calvin Kattar in his second UFC headline bout. He is currently riding one of the best winning streaks in the division, having won his last five fights.
Sure, Emmett isn’t the most charismatic fighter on the roster and he doesn’t have that much star power, but he’s definitely a dangerous opponent for anyone. He’s an excellent amateur wrestler with some powerful takedowns in his arsenal.
More to the point, he’s got the punching power to turn the lights out on any other featherweight.
Would he be favored to beat Volkanovski? The truth is that he definitely wouldn’t, as he hasn’t shown the kind of technical striking that ‘Alexander the Great’ has displayed on numerous occasions. Furthermore, he has never fought for five rounds like the Australian is capable of doing.
More to the point, the UFC might balk at this fight right now due to Emmett simply not being a big name or having any truly huge wins on his ledger.
However, if the promotion wishes to display some genuine meritocracy, and if Volkanovski wants to get back into action as soon as possible following his win over Holloway, this fight could make some sense.
#4. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Henry Cejudo
One fighter who has called out Alexander Volkanovski on numerous occasions and would probably make for an intriguing opponent for the Australian is former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo.
‘Triple C’ has never fought at 145lbs before. In fact, he hasn’t stepped into the octagon at all since his self-imposed retirement in mid-2020. However, he’s recently re-entered USADA’s testing pool in preparation for a return, and is primed for a big fight.
There would probably be an argument against Cejudo being allowed to jump the queue for a featherweight title shot given he’s never fought at the weight before. However, to be fair, Volkanovski doesn’t have a ready-made opponent right now that ‘Triple C’ would be bypassing.
More to the point, Cejudo can sell a fight like few others on the roster right now. It’s hard to deny that it’d be fascinating to see the 2008 Olympic gold medallist attempt to become the only fighter in UFC history to win titles in three separate weight classes.
Due to his incredible wrestling skills and improved striking game, Cejudo could actually prove to be a major threat to Volkanovski. This would definitely be one of the better fights the UFC could make right now, even if it doesn’t make a ton of sense on paper.
#3. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Dustin Poirier
Following his third victory over Max Holloway, there’s definitely an argument that Alexander Volkanovski has cleaned out the UFC’s featherweight division. Sure, he hasn’t fought a couple of the higher-ranked fighters there yet, but nobody would really be favored to test him at this stage, let alone beat him.
Therefore, there’s a chance that the Australian might choose to move to 155lbs. If he does that, would ‘Alexander the Great’ be able to take an instant title shot? It seems highly unlikely right now.
Not only does the UFC not technically have a lightweight champion at the minute, but the de facto No.1 fighter in the division, Charles Oliveira, seems destined to fight either Islam Makhachev or Conor McGregor next with the vacant title on the line.
However, that shouldn’t stop Volkanovski from moving up if he wishes to. One fighter who would definitely provide a fascinating welcome to him at 155lbs would be Dustin Poirier.
‘The Diamond’ was last seen in a losing effort against Oliveira, but he’s still one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. He holds wins over McGregor, Holloway and other top competitors such as Justin Gaethje.
More importantly, Poirier’s pressure-boxing style would definitely be able to give Volkanovski a stiff test. If the Australian could overcome him, it’d be hard to deny him a shot at the UFC lightweight title, giving him the opportunity to become a double champ.
Overall, this fight could easily headline a pay-per-view card, and would definitely be an intriguing one to watch.
#2. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega or Yair Rodriguez
If Alexander Volkanovski decides to stick around at 145lbs to defend his UFC featherweight title again, the most likely top contender for him could be the winner of the upcoming Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez fight.
The bout goes down in just two weeks’ time meaning that, barring any injuries, the timing would be perfect for a title clash with Volkanovski at some point in either late 2022 or early 2023.
Who would make for the better opponent for ‘Alexander the Great’? Given that he only fought Ortega in late 2021, Rodriguez would definitely provide a fresher test for the Australian.
Sure, ‘El Pantera’ would not be favored to defeat Volkanovski, but his flashy, high-impact striking style would definitely be able to give him something to think about. It might even force him to fall back on his takedowns, something we haven’t seen recently.
If Ortega were to win, on the other hand, it wouldn’t be a disaster. His first bout with Volkanovski was arguably the best fight of 2021. It wouldn’t take a lot for the UFC to be able to sell a rematch – particularly as ‘T-City’ came close to submitting ‘Alexander the Great’ on more than one occasion.
In conclusion, if Volkanovski wants to remain at featherweight and continue to defend his title, this would be the best fight for him from both a stylistic and money-drawing perspective.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Islam Makhachev
For the reasons outlined earlier, it seems unlikely that Alexander Volkanovski will be able to walk right into a UFC lightweight title shot right now, despite his dominance at 145lbs. However, if Charles Oliveira does end up fighting Conor McGregor for the vacant 155lbs title, that would leave Islam Makhachev as the odd man out.
If that’s the case, then could the UFC set up a fight between the dangerous Dagestani grappler and ‘Alexander the Great’? It might sound like a fight out of left field, but it could definitely be an intriguing bout with plenty of questions to ask.
Could Makhachev – who has largely been able to outgrapple every opponent he’s faced in the octagon – take Volkanovski down, given the Australian’s low center of gravity and phenomenal takedown defense?
Or would we see Makhachev’s somewhat cruder striking style exposed somewhat by ‘Alexander the Great’, who has proven himself to be one of the most technical and nuanced kickboxers in MMA right now?
Overall, this would be a truly fantastic fight. It’d be downright impossible to deny the winner a shot at lightweight gold, regardless of who might hold the title at that point.
