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Alexander Volkanovski, much like MMA fans, is eager for Zabit Magomedsharipov to return to the UFC following his retirement announcement this past June.
Magomedsharipov showed immense potential as a future UFC champion when he burst onto the scene in 2017. The Russian rose to as high as No.3 in the featherweight rankings before stepping away from the sport.
Volkanovski stated that he was disappointed to hear about Magomedsharipov's retirement during a recent interview with Michael Bisping. 'The Great' said the following about the former UFC fighter's decision to call it quits:
"I was looking forward to that fight eventually happening. I want big fights... I thought he was gonna be there, I thought he was one fight away from fighting for a title. I thought it would be a big fight. So I was disappointed when I heard he went away."
Watch the interview below:
Alexander Volkanovski is less than three months away from attempting to become the UFC's latest two-division champion. The current UFC featherweight titleholder will move up to lightweight and face Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 284.
The fight will take place in Volkanovski's home country of Australia. Despite being the underdog heading into the fight, 'The Great' is full of confidence that he is the man for the job.
Alexander Volkanovski says 2023 will be 'the year people remember his legacy'
Alexander Volkanovski put together one of the most impressive single-year runs in the history of MMA in 2022. 'The Great' fought twice and did not lose a single round over the nine he competed in.
Volkanovski looked untouchable against his biggest rival, Max Hollaway, at UFC 276. He was also dominant against 'The Korean Zombie' three months prior at UFC 273.
Despite that, 'The Great' believes that the best is yet to come, and predicts that 2023 will be even better than 2022.
Alexander Volkanovski recently released a new episode of his training camp vlog series ahead of his fight with Islam Makhachev, during which he said the following:
"2023 is going to be my year. Next year is gonna be my year. We're rolling into 2023 with the biggest fight of my life. Going for champ-champ against Islam Makhachev. This is the year people remember my legacy."
Watch the video below:
