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Alexander Volkanovski isn't over his loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. The featherweight champion has been calling for a rematch since rewatching the fight, claiming that he won Rounds 2, 4, and 5.
Islam Makhachev seems like he's ready to move on and put out a tweet calling for his next opponent. Replying to the tweet, Volkanovski called the lightweight champion out for a rematch:
"Let's run it back and give the people what they want!"
The Australian fighter gave Islam Makhachev his toughest challenge to date. While many counted 'The Great' out and expected Makhachev to handily beat him, Volkanovski shocked everyone with his wrestling and takedown defense. On more than one occasion, the featherweight champion overwhelmed Makhachev to the point of forcing the Dagestani fighter to shoot for takedowns.
On the flipside, Makhachev surprised everyone, including Alexander Volkanovski, with his striking ability. The UFC lightweight champion worked behind his jab and caught his opponent with a number of good shots.
Even though Makhachev won the closely contested bout, he wasn't awarded the pound-for-pound No.1 ranking. Volkanovski successfully retained his spot at the top of the men's rankings, probably due to his exceptional performance against the Dagestani phenom.
What did 'The Eagle' say about Islam Makhachev's performance against Alexander Volkanovski?
Going into UFC 284, Islam Makhachev had all the variables stacked against him. He had a brutal weight cut leading up to the fight, didn't have his mentor and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov in his corner, and fought Alexander Volkanovski in enemy territory.
According to Javier Mendez, head coach at the American Kickboxing Academy, Nurmagomedov made accurate predictions about how Alexander Volkanovski would prove to be Makhachev's toughest test to date. According to Nurmagomedov, in Mendez's words, Islam Makhachev would win the bout but face adversity in the latter rounds.
After Makhachev's win, Nurmagomedov put out a thoughtful post immortalizing his childhood friend.
The post's caption, translated from Russian, reads:
"Simply the best. You proved it in a hard, competitive fight against the best active fighter on the planet. There is always something to work on. But this story will remain for a long time in this sport. Just have a flashback on your memory of who topped the best regardless of [the] weight category from Eurasia, in the history of MMA. There were only a couple of fighters and Islam was already on that list. You are already [a part of] history, brother Islam Makhachev."
Many in the MMA community are still skeptical about the result of the UFC 284 main event. A lot of people think that Alexander Volkanovski did enough to win the fight.
Rumors about Makhachev using an IV to rehydrate before their fight is not helping the Dagestani's cause either. Furthermore, Alexander Volkanovski is still the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. It remains to be seen whether the pair will meet inside the octagon again.
