UFC star Alexander Volkanovski cemented his place as the undisputed top fighter in the featherweight division with his victory over Max Holloway at UFC 276.
The victory left no doubts that Volk was the king of the division, with the Australian not shy about expressing his desire to step up to challenge for the lightweight title.
Following his victory, he sent out a statement at T-Mobile Arena: “I want to be in this octagon as much as possible. I want to be busy. I don’t think this division can keep me busy by itself. I want to move up, go for double champ and I’ll keep two divisions busy. So, Charles (Oliveira), whoever gets that belt, nothing but respect (but) I would love to move up, (and) get double champ status.”
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It’s no secret that the Australian has run through the featherweight division, however, any true champion wants legit challengers and Volkanovski is no different.
Speaking to SPORTbible Australia, the featherweight champ sent out a motivational message of sorts to the division, and in particular Yair Rodriguez.
He said: “There’s a few in the division that might need a little kick up the a**.
“We’ve got two guys fighting this weekend, and Rodriguez is one I haven’t faced yet.
“I think a big win is going to put him right up there. He just needs to go out and win in crazy fashion and I think everyone’s going to be screaming his name.”
Rodriguez is currently ranked equal third in the featherweight rankings, however, goes up against a previous opponent of Volkanovski’s in Brian Ortega at UFC Fight Night.
A win there would signal a huge jump in the rankings, and a tantalising matchup between the Mexican and Alexander ‘The Great’ for the featherweight title.
Volkanovski mentioned a few other names who might just need some strong words to get the fire going and move their way up to a shot for his title.
He said: “You’ve got guys like Josh Emmett who probably just need one more big fight.
“You’ve got Josh Emmett, Bryce Mitchell, Arnold Allen, but right now, there’s one person who's in a real good position and is just days away from claiming that number one spot, and that’s Yair Rodriguez.
“I think he’s in the best position to claim that next shot, so if I’m giving anyone a kick up the a** it’s probably Yair Rodriguez this weekend.”
Seems like there’s still a whole lot left in the tank for Volkanovski in the featherweight division.
Jayden Collins