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Alexander Volkanovski won his second title defense at UFC 266. With his unanimous decision victory against Brian Ortega, 'The Great' has forced the MMA community to include him in the featherweight GOAT discussion. After all, he has remained undefeated after facing top-tier athletes such as Jose Aldo, Max Holloway and Chad Mendes.
A rematch against 'T-City' or a trilogy against Max Holloway are a few of the options Volkanovski can consider. However, there's one name that the MMA community would love to see against the UFC featherweight champion - Conor McGregor.
Conor McGregor's rather hostile tweet against Alexander Volkanovski made waves as the UFC 266 main event ended. Word even got to the Aussie himself, who invited the Irishman to come down to the featherweight division or meet him at 155. Within minutes of this development, a debate about who would win this potential matchup caught fire.
Here are five reasons why Alexander Volkanovski beats Conor McGregor if they fight.
#5. Alexander Volkanovski is in his prime while Conor McGregor is way past his
Alexander Volkanovski has been an unstoppable force in his MMA career. 'The Great' hasn't lost a single bout in the past eight years and has achieved a rare 20-fight winning streak. His win against Brian Ortega at UFC 266 was the latest addition.
He is now 10-0 in the UFC, a feat only a few have achieved in company history. Volkanovski has joined legends like Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Khabib Nurmagomedov on the list. It would be safe to say that Alexander Volkanovski is in the prime years of his mixed martial arts career.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is now being written off against more fighters on the roster since his losses to 'The Eagle' and Dustin Poirier. The Irishman is 1-3 in the last four years, while Volkanovski is 9-0 in the same period.
The two fighters are more or less at two different ends of their primes. A fight against Alexander Volkanovski will not be a smart move for Conor McGregor at this stage of his career.
#4. Alexander Volkanovski has better cardio than Conor McGregor
At UFC 266, Alexander Volkanovski dominated Brian Ortega in the striking department. He also managed to hold his own on the mat. However, Volkanovski's cardio was the biggest difference between the two. It allowed the Australian to maintain relentless pressure for 25 minutes.
It's interesting to note that Volkanovski's last three fights have gone the full five-round distance. 'The Great' has become a master at taking his opponents into deep waters.
Conor McGregor, on the other hand, is infamous for his cardio. The issue has come to the fore in some of his biggest losses, especially against Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Irishman has failed to clock 15 minutes in the octagon over his last three fights.
It's safe to say that Alexander Volkanovski will have a significant advantage over Conor McGregor in the cardio department.
#3. Conor McGregor is coming off a freak injury
It has only been a few months since Conor McGregor suffered a gruesome injury to his left leg at UFC 264. Fracturing his tibia handed him a second consecutive TKO loss against Dustin Poirier and put him on crutches for several months.
'The Notorious' has made progress and looks dedicated towards his comeback. However, it's going to take more than grit and social media posts to get back to competing at the highest level.
According to UFC president Dana White, Conor McGregor's return doesn't seem likely before the summer of 2022. Even if McGregor heals up by then, it seems unlikely that he'll be able to compete with Volkanovski's dominance inside the octagon.
#2. Alexander Volkanovski is a well-rounded striker
Conor McGregor shot to fame in the MMA world because of his crafty and accurate striking. The southpaw outclassed elite fighters solely with his stand-up game. However, Alexander Volkanovski is just as good at striking as the Irishman, if not better.
Alexander Volkanovski doesn't do anything flashy. He prefers being efficient and playing to his strengths. Volkanovski is shorter than many fighters, but he doesn't let that be a disadvantage. His go-to is an overhand right, which he sets up perfectly with jabs while efficiently closing distance.
Volkanovski is also known for his relentless pressure. He landed 214 significant strikes against Brian Ortega at UFC 266, the second-most in a UFC title fight (men's divisions). Conor McGregor has not come close to that kind of output in his entire career.
To be fair to McGregor, the Irishman has finished most of his opponents. However, he ranks behind Volkanovski when it comes to average significant strikes landed per minute, striking accuracy and striking defense. This suggests that while McGregor may pack more power, Volkanovski is definitely the better overall striker.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski is used to fighting bigger guys than Conor McGregor
Alexander Volkanovski started his MMA career as a welterweight. After winning welterweight and lightweight titles with several different MMA promotions, Volkanovski moved down to featherweight. In fact, the Australian's UFC debut was in the lightweight division, while Conor McGregor's was at featherweight.
Therefore, it's safe to say that 'The Great' is used to fighting bigger men. Speaking at the UFC 266 post-fight press conference, Alexander Volkanovski pointed to his history of fighting bigger guys and said:
"I'm used to the big boys. I train with bigger guys all the time. I used to be 214 pounds, you know. I played a front row for a rugby league. It's the biggest position... I fought at middleweight, welterweight, you know, my only loss was at welterweight... So I'm used to the big guys."
It could be challenging for Conor McGregor to move down to featherweight. The Irishman has been unhappy with the amount of weight he's had to cut in the past. However, Volkanovski looks like the better choice, even at lightweight.
