Alexander Volkanovski defeating Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 would be historic, says Daniel Cormier.
For his next fight, Volkanovski switches weight classes to challenge Makhachev, the newly crowned UFC lightweight champion. Against Makhachev, the reigning UFC featherweight champion is the underdog, a role he relishes considering he has a chance at figuring out something no one else has: the Dagestani wrestling. And if he does, Cormier says it would be the ’biggest upset’ in MMA history.
“In my opinion, [if] Volkanovski wins this fight, it’s the biggest,” said Cormier on a recent episode of ‘3 Rounds with Daniel Cormier’ on YouTube. “It’s bigger than anything we’ve seen because, I’m telling you, when you get into the details of this matchup, it seems a very hard match for Volkanovski to win because his skillset is almost catered for a guy like Makhachev because of Makhachev’s ability to stand and also his size.
“Volk is a very big guy,” continued Cormier. “Remember, we’ve spoken ad nauseam about how big he was when he played football — or rugby or whatever you guys call it over there, but that doesn’t matter. He’s still shorter. [And] because he’s shorter, it makes for Makhachev to use the leverage against Volkanovski. I believe that this would be the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history.”
Though Cormier says Volkanovski defeating Makhachev is an upset, the ‘Great’ sees it differently. For Volkanovski, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) staple is ‘stoppable’ — and he is ready to prove it when the two step into the Octagon.
UFC 284 is set for Saturday, February 11, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Makhachev vs. Volkanovski serves as the headliner for the upcoming pay-per-view event.
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