The underrated Volkanovski the best fighter in history? Alexander ‘The Great’ praised from all sides, UFC boss speaks out about his future

Alexander Volkanovski once again confirmed his greatness. At least the qualitative one. Yair Rodriguez was higher in the match, but it didn’t help him to win. The Australian still holds the throne. What are the reactions and what about Volkanovski’s future?

He used to play rugby, he started combat sports to keep fit in the off-season. He was 22 years old, weighed almost 100 kilograms. Now, some 12 years later, he is considered one of the best fighters of all time, at least in his weight division up to 66 kilograms.

Alex Volkanovski, in short, writes a fantastic story. The Australian fighter came into the UFC in 2016 with a 13-1 record. He started his career as a welterweight and scored his first UFC fight at lightweight. But he soon moved up to featherweight, which he has been the king of for quite some time.

He claimed a title shot after defeating the legendary Jose Aldo. In his first title fight, he defeated another legend Max Holloway, who, if not for Volkanovski, would probably be one of the most dominant champions of all time.

His first defence was with Holloway, beating him narrowly and controversially. He followed that up with a win against Brian Ortega, then destroyed Korean Zombie, beat Holloway for the third time, and then tried for the lightweight title. He was beaten on points by Islam Makhachev in an evenly matched bout, with a possible rematch being discussed since the end of the fight.

But now Volkanovski has returned to his kingdom to defeat another challenger. Yair Rodriguez fell in the third round. He had virtually no chance to win. The Aussie’s performance was pretty much sovereign. Five successful defenses? That’s saying something.

Volkanovski underrated and the best?

Alexander Volkanovski is a fantastic fighter, he is respected in the eyes of the more knowledgeable public. But is he a giant star despite his performances and results? Unfortunately. Maybe so in his home country.

However, after another great scalp, he’s earned a lot of praise. For example, from another UFC fighter, Stephen Thompson. He called Volkanovski the best fighter of all time at featherweight, a division previously dominated by the likes of Aldo and Conor McGregor.

He was also complimented by the legendary Daniel Cormier, who is clear. The Great, as the Australian’s nickname goes, is simply too good.

At the press conference, UFC boss Dana White also commented on the champion. He believes that Volkanovski is truly underrated and that he will probably be appreciated after he is done.

There is also a lot of talk about his future. Another challenger, Ilia Topuria, has come forward to speak. It’s not out of the question that he’ll try to conquer the lightweight division again. That it’s not unrealistic and impossible, he tried it with Makhachev.

What does White say? “We’ll see how his surgery goes and what happens. Whatever he wants to do, we’ll probably accommodate him,” he’s clear.

Volkanovski has an injured hand, but he says it shouldn’t be anything serious that should sideline the champion for a long time.

Source: UFC, Twitter, Tapology