Alexander Volkanovski taps into Rugby background to address size concerns ahead of Islam Makhachev clash

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is all set to challenge lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev for his 155-pound title at the upcoming UFC 284 pay-per-view.

The popular narrative surrounding the matchup has been the size difference between Makhachev and Volkanovski, which clearly favors the former. However, the pound-for-pound king doesn't subscribe to such claims.

During an interview with ESPN MMA, Volkanovski rubbished the probability of size differences playing against him during the super fight, saying that he used to face men much larger than Makhachev while playing rugby:

"Yes, he's bigger than me at 5-feet-10, and I'm coming up a weight class. But I've been there before. Islam [Makhachev] is a little baby compared to these heavyweights I saw in rugby league."

Not long ago, 'The Great' used to be a semi-professional rugby player in Australia. The sport of rugby is typically dominated by larger men. However, that didn't stop the 5'6" inch Volkanovski from clinching the Mick Cronin Medal awarded to the best player in South Coast Rugby League in 2010. Interestingly, he used to weigh around 214 lbs during his rugby days.

The Australian is currently undefeated in the UFC with 12 wins. His opponent Islam Makhachev also holds an equally impressive UFC record of 12-1.

If Makhachev wins the fight against 'The Great', he will take over the No.1 spot in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. Meanwhile, if Volkanovski wins, he will become the promotion's fifth-ever simultaneous two-division champion in addition to retaining the top pound-for-pound spot.

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Alexander Volkanovski says that he is looking forward to "smacking the smirk out off" Islam Makhachev's face

It looks like pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovksi didn't appreciate Islam Makhachev smirking at him during interviews. Speaking with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, the Australian stated that he could sense a bit of "cockiness" from his Russian counterpart in the lead-up to UFC 284.

However, Volkanovski believes Makhachev won't be smirking when the cage doors close for the fight:

"You've seen him smirking and all that. This week you won't be seeing him smirking you're going to see him struggling, he's going to be fragile... He's a pretty respectful dude but I feel there was a sort of cockiness [during interviews] and I love smacking the smirk off people's faces, so I'm looking forward to that."

Catch Alexander Volkanovski's comments on Islam Makhachev below: