Alexander Volkanovski's aspirations to become a two-division champion were dealt a blow in his second defeat to Islam Makhachev last year. An Australian trainer recently discussed why the featherweight champion accepted the fight under less than ideal circumstances.
Volkanovski faced Makhachev for the latter's lightweight title at UFC 294 in October and suffered the first TKO defeat of his UFC career, surrendering to a head kick in the first round.
In a recent interview with Mediation, head coach and City Kickboxing founder Eugene Bareman expressed his thoughts on selecting Volkanovski for a rematch against Makhachev on short notice. He revealed that the featherweight champion's decision may have been influenced by the offer of a lucrative new contract.
Barman said:
“I'm not sure if this was widely publicized but Alex signed a new contract in that last fight. So it wasn't just about him getting a big payday. It was about all his future fights happening with much better compensation. So, from From this point of view, his decision was understandable.”
Get Eugene Bareman's comments below:
Sean O'Malley doesn't want to face Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to defend his featherweight title against rising contender Ilya Topuria in the main event of UFC 298 later this month.
During his last appearance on MMA watch, Current bantamweight champion, Sean O'Malley, has discussed the possibility of facing the winner of Volkanovski vs. Topuria. Sugar stated that although he is keen to fight Topuria, he is not interested in facing the reigning champion:
If Elijah goes out there and gets the job done, we'll see. This is the fight I want at 145 years old.
When asked about a potential fight against Volkanovski, O'Malley responded:
''Folk, I don't know, I'm not interested in fighting with Volk. Just don't like that fight.
Get Sean O'Malley's comments below (44.38):
O'Malley has made no secret of his desire to move up to featherweight if Topuria defeats Volkanovski at UFC 298 later this month. At UFC 299, “Sugar” is set to return with Marlon Vera in his first title defense just three weeks after their 145-pound title fight.
