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This weekend sees Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski meet for champion vs. champion bout in the headliner of UFC 284.
Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski is one of the biggest fights in recent memory. For some reason, though, it feels like the UFC and some of the fans aren’t treating it as such.
Quite why this is remains baffling. Makhachev vs. Volkanovski is a phenomenal fight that deserves as much hype as any in the promotion’s history.
Here are five reasons why Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski deserves more hype than its getting.
#5. It’s hard to predict whether Islam Makhachev or Alexander Volkanovski will win this fight
Unpredictability is a big part of what can make a fight in the UFC highly anticipated. If the outcome of a fight seems obvious going in, even if it ends up an upset, then it’s harder to get excited for it.
If there’s a genuine sense of unpredictability coming into a bout, though, then it’s naturally far more intriguing for the fans. In that sense, Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski deserves plenty of hype because it’s near impossible to truly predict a winner.
Both men have clear-cut advantages in the bout. Makhachev is confident of being able to outwrestle Volkanovski and probably fancies his chances of securing a submission if he gets the Australian on the ground.
‘Alexander the Great’, though, will probably believe that he’ll hold an advantage on the feet. He’ll also likely believe that he can prevent the Dagestani’s takedowns and use his aggression against him to set up a knockout blow.
Based on the previous performances of both men, either scenario feels equally likely, so the intrigue levels of this one should be incredibly high.
#4. Both Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski are capable of putting on great fights
It’s always tricky for the UFC to market a big fight if one of the athletes involved is renowned for putting on dull fights.
Thankfully, that isn’t the case when it comes to Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski. Unlike many title fights, both of these men have proven themselves more than capable of producing thrillers in the octagon over recent years.
Of the two, it’s arguable that ‘Alexander the Great’ has produced more classic bouts. His trilogy with Max Holloway was remarkable for the amount of action that it produced and his 2021 clash with Brian Ortega was widely viewed as one of the best fights of that year.
Makhachev, on the other hand, hasn’t had those close, competitive fights in recent years, but that doesn’t mean he’s been boring to watch.
The Dagestani has instead run right through almost every foe he’s faced, from Dan Hooker and Drew Dober to Bobby Green and Charles Oliveira. He’s one of the most reliable finishers in the UFC right now.
The likelihood, therefore, of this fight proving to be disappointing is very slim indeed. Quite why the UFC aren’t marketing it as a potential ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate, then, is confusing.
#3. Both Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski are practically unbeaten in the UFC
Any champion vs. champion fight in the UFC will naturally feature two of the best fighters in the world. Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski are arguably even more special than that.
Both men are practically unbeaten inside the octagon, with a phenomenal combined record of 24-1. Both men have 12 wins in the UFC, with the lone loss coming for Makhachev at the hands of Adriano Martins way back in October 2015.
Of the two, it’s probably arguable that Volkanovski has the better wins. ‘Alexander the Great’ holds victories over Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway, Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung. Essentially, he’s beaten every other great featherweight in UFC history.
Makhachev hasn’t been beating scrubs, though. He’s beaten some underrated foes, including Drew Dober and Arman Tsarukyan, and his win over Charles Oliveira, via submission of all things, was huge.
Given that this fight will see the loser suffer their first defeat in the best part of a decade, it’s hard to understand why it isn’t getting more hype.
#2. Any champion vs. champion fight in the UFC is well deserving of hype
While they’ve admittedly become more commonplace in the past decade, the fact is that in the UFC, champion vs. champion bouts are usually rare.
Most of the time, a champion doesn’t have the chance to move up or down to another weight class as they’re busy fending off the challenge of top opponents in their own division. In fact, most title reigns in the UFC don’t last all that long.
Therefore, when the promotion does manage to book a champion vs. champion bout – especially one like Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski, which doesn’t feel gimmicky – it should always be a big deal.
It shouldn’t really matter that neither Makhachev nor ‘Alexander the Great’ is a renowned trash talker. The brilliance of these two champions in itself should be enough to sell this clash.
In that sense, Makhachev vs. Volkanovski is deserving of at least as much hype as say, T.J. Dillashaw vs. Henry Cejudo or Israel Adesanya vs. Jan Blachowicz got. Right now, that’s much more than it seems to be receiving.
#1. The winner of Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski will be considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC
It’s arguable that the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings don’t actually mean all that much. After all, it’s very hard to quantify quite why, for instance, former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman currently sits ahead of reigning bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling.
However, the fact that the UFC produces and promotes these rankings makes them a big deal in the eyes of most fans.
In that sense, the fact that this weekend sees pound-for-pound No.1 Alexander Volkanovski taking on No.2-ranked Islam Makhachev should make it an absolutely massive deal.
In theory, at least, this should make Makhachev vs. Volkanovski one of the most talked-about fights of all time, period.
Essentially, whoever wins this one can claim – via the UFC’s official rankings – to be the very best fighter on the planet right now, and that doesn’t happen very often.
Therefore, this fight deserves far more hype than it’s currently getting from both the promotion and some fans.
