Alexander Volkanovski explains why Conor McGregor isn't given "credit" while naming the Irishman as his dream opponent

Alexander Volkanovski has fought nearly every big name in the featherweight division, but the one potential opponent he still points to is Conor McGregor. When asked about a dream fight, the Australian admitted that McGregor remains the pick because of what that matchup would have meant at the height of the Irishman’s career.

Volkanovski said McGregor changed the sport during his featherweight run. The Irishman was creating a platform that made anyone who stood across from him a bigger star. For a fighter chasing titles and also trying to secure a lasting legacy, that kind of spotlight is hard to ignore.

Speaking in a recent appearance on ufc-fighter-can-t-stand" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">The Unscripted Show, Volkanovski said:

"Probably Conor, man. A lot of people are going to sit there and be like, 'Oh yeah, Conor is a boring answer,' but remember, he was in the featherweight division, that era when he was just an absolute superstar... The position you could put yourself in just fighting that guy, when you talk about building your platform, when we talk about money and all that, not only UFC, but as you get up, you can get better money."

He added:

"He was a good fighter. He was a great fighter. He was another fighter that his accuracy, he was actually a bit ahead of his time. He was really good. I don't think people give him credit. He was just a good knockout artist. He just had powerful punches... No, he had great timing, great set-ups, good understanding of what works and what works for him, and yeah, he was sharp. A lot of that is gone now. He's probably going to be reasonably sharp, but he's never going to be that same Conor McGregor. "

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (1:02:00):

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When Alexander Volkanovski spoke about dream UFC fight with Conor McGregor

Alexander Volkanovski has previously talked about wanting to face Conor McGregor when both were in their prime.

The Australian, while preparing for his title unification clash against Yair Rodríguez, admitted that a matchup with McGregor would have been a blockbuster clash. Beating McGregor at featherweight would have meant a clean sweep of every champion in the division’s history. Sharing his thoughts on The MMA Fan Podcast, Volkanovski said:

“The only champ I haven’t fought in the featherweight division is Conor McGregor... Conor McGregor in his prime in featherweight division obviously would be an all-time. I’m sure everyone would want to see that fight now. If we could make that happen right now, somehow get prime Conor vs. prime Volk, it would be pretty special.”