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UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has recalled an interaction with a ‘disrespectful’ sambo practitioner in the gym during his ongoing fight camp.
Having well and truly conquered the UFC’s 145-pound division, where he sits on the throne with four successful title defenses under his belt, Volkanovski is seeking new challenges that can enhance his legacy.
With that, the #1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion is looking to become the latest multi-weight titleholder. To do so, he’ll have to make the reign of Islam Makhachev a short one.
The Dagestani was crowned this past October at UFC 280, where he submitted Charles Oliveira. Not long after agreeing to a champ vs. champ showdown with Volkanovski in Australia, the bout was confirmed as the headliner for UFC 284 next February.
Despite his credentials and dominance at featherweight, Volkanovski opened as a betting underdog and has had his chances of dethroning Makhachev widely dismissed. Many have suggested that the Russian’s size, strength, and imposing wrestling game will prove too much for the Australian.
For Volkanovski, that couldn’t be further from the case — something it appears that one fighter from a similar background as Makhachev recently discovered…
Volkanovski Had To ‘Teach A Lesson’ To Sambo Practitioner
Like many fighters who hail from the mountains of Dagestan, Makhachev’s background lies in combat sambo, a sport that mixes the wrestling focus of sambo with the all-round nature of mixed martial arts.
Having seen Makhachev utilize his ability in the sport to great affect inside the Octagon, it’s perhaps to be expected that Volkanovski and his team would have trained alongside a sambo-based fighter ahead of UFC 284.
While that is the case, thing seemingly didn’t pan out great.
During a recent appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Volkanovski recalled having to apparently humble the training partner when he began pointing to things the featherweight king “needed” to do.
According to the Aussie’s account of the interaction, the sambo fighter was left with no doubt when it comes to any shortcomings in his skill set.
“Yeah man, we ended up bringing in a sambo guy. There was a guy that would come in — there’s a bit of a story to that, I won’t get into that. But I mean, we end up bringing him in. He wasn’t the most respectful in the conversations,” Volkanovski said. “When we bring him in, we bring him in sort of to teach him a lesson. I’ll leave it at that.
“I’m not usually like that, but I mean, he thought like, ‘Yeah, you’re gonna need this, need that,’ and then I showed him real quickly that we didn’t need nothing… I’m not usually like that in training, but I had to prove a bit of a point,” Volkanovski continued. “It wasn’t just me… I even got some of my guys that are like 21-year-olds, things like that… We all showed him like, ‘Do we really need you mate? Yeah, settle down.’ … We sort of taught him a lesson.”
Having seemingly taught one sambo practitioner a lesson on the mats, Volkanovski will hope to repeat the feat inside the Octagon next year when he goes toe-to-toe with Makhachev in Perth.
Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Given his underdog status, a victory for Alexander “The Great” would no doubt go down as one of the greatest champ-champ crownings in UFC history.
How do you think Alexander Volkanovski will fare against Islam Makhachev’s sambo wrestling style?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has recalled an interaction with a ‘disrespectful’ sambo practitioner in the gym during his ongoing fight camp.
Having well and truly conquered the UFC’s 145-pound division, where he sits on the throne with four successful title defenses under his belt, Volkanovski is seeking new challenges that can enhance his legacy.
With that, the #1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion is looking to become the latest multi-weight titleholder. To do so, he’ll have to make the reign of Islam Makhachev a short one.
The Dagestani was crowned this past October at UFC 280, where he submitted Charles Oliveira. Not long after agreeing to a champ vs. champ showdown with Volkanovski in Australia, the bout was confirmed as the headliner for UFC 284 next February.
Despite his credentials and dominance at featherweight, Volkanovski opened as a betting underdog and has had his chances of dethroning Makhachev widely dismissed. Many have suggested that the Russian’s size, strength, and imposing wrestling game will prove too much for the Australian.
For Volkanovski, that couldn’t be further from the case — something it appears that one fighter from a similar background as Makhachev recently discovered…
Volkanovski Had To ‘Teach A Lesson’ To Sambo Practitioner
Like many fighters who hail from the mountains of Dagestan, Makhachev’s background lies in combat sambo, a sport that mixes the wrestling focus of sambo with the all-round nature of mixed martial arts.
Having seen Makhachev utilize his ability in the sport to great affect inside the Octagon, it’s perhaps to be expected that Volkanovski and his team would have trained alongside a sambo-based fighter ahead of UFC 284.
While that is the case, thing seemingly didn’t pan out great.
During a recent appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Volkanovski recalled having to apparently humble the training partner when he began pointing to things the featherweight king “needed” to do.
According to the Aussie’s account of the interaction, the sambo fighter was left with no doubt when it comes to any shortcomings in his skill set.
“Yeah man, we ended up bringing in a sambo guy. There was a guy that would come in — there’s a bit of a story to that, I won’t get into that. But I mean, we end up bringing him in. He wasn’t the most respectful in the conversations,” Volkanovski said. “When we bring him in, we bring him in sort of to teach him a lesson. I’ll leave it at that.
“I’m not usually like that, but I mean, he thought like, ‘Yeah, you’re gonna need this, need that,’ and then I showed him real quickly that we didn’t need nothing… I’m not usually like that in training, but I had to prove a bit of a point,” Volkanovski continued. “It wasn’t just me… I even got some of my guys that are like 21-year-olds, things like that… We all showed him like, ‘Do we really need you mate? Yeah, settle down.’ … We sort of taught him a lesson.”
Having seemingly taught one sambo practitioner a lesson on the mats, Volkanovski will hope to repeat the feat inside the Octagon next year when he goes toe-to-toe with Makhachev in Perth.
Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Given his underdog status, a victory for Alexander “The Great” would no doubt go down as one of the greatest champ-champ crownings in UFC history.
How do you think Alexander Volkanovski will fare against Islam Makhachev’s sambo wrestling style?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
Having well and truly conquered the UFC’s 145-pound division, where he sits on the throne with four successful title defenses under his belt, Volkanovski is seeking new challenges that can enhance his legacy.
With that, the #1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion is looking to become the latest multi-weight titleholder. To do so, he’ll have to make the reign of Islam Makhachev a short one.
The Dagestani was crowned this past October at UFC 280, where he submitted Charles Oliveira. Not long after agreeing to a champ vs. champ showdown with Volkanovski in Australia, the bout was confirmed as the headliner for UFC 284 next February.
Despite his credentials and dominance at featherweight, Volkanovski opened as a betting underdog and has had his chances of dethroning Makhachev widely dismissed. Many have suggested that the Russian’s size, strength, and imposing wrestling game will prove too much for the Australian.
For Volkanovski, that couldn’t be further from the case — something it appears that one fighter from a similar background as Makhachev recently discovered…
Volkanovski Had To ‘Teach A Lesson’ To Sambo Practitioner
Like many fighters who hail from the mountains of Dagestan, Makhachev’s background lies in combat sambo, a sport that mixes the wrestling focus of sambo with the all-round nature of mixed martial arts.
Having seen Makhachev utilize his ability in the sport to great affect inside the Octagon, it’s perhaps to be expected that Volkanovski and his team would have trained alongside a sambo-based fighter ahead of UFC 284.
While that is the case, thing seemingly didn’t pan out great.
During a recent appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Volkanovski recalled having to apparently humble the training partner when he began pointing to things the featherweight king “needed” to do.
According to the Aussie’s account of the interaction, the sambo fighter was left with no doubt when it comes to any shortcomings in his skill set.
“Yeah man, we ended up bringing in a sambo guy. There was a guy that would come in — there’s a bit of a story to that, I won’t get into that. But I mean, we end up bringing him in. He wasn’t the most respectful in the conversations,” Volkanovski said. “When we bring him in, we bring him in sort of to teach him a lesson. I’ll leave it at that.
“I’m not usually like that, but I mean, he thought like, ‘Yeah, you’re gonna need this, need that,’ and then I showed him real quickly that we didn’t need nothing… I’m not usually like that in training, but I had to prove a bit of a point,” Volkanovski continued. “It wasn’t just me… I even got some of my guys that are like 21-year-olds, things like that… We all showed him like, ‘Do we really need you mate? Yeah, settle down.’ … We sort of taught him a lesson.”
Having seemingly taught one sambo practitioner a lesson on the mats, Volkanovski will hope to repeat the feat inside the Octagon next year when he goes toe-to-toe with Makhachev in Perth.
Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Given his underdog status, a victory for Alexander “The Great” would no doubt go down as one of the greatest champ-champ crownings in UFC history.
How do you think Alexander Volkanovski will fare against Islam Makhachev’s sambo wrestling style?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has recalled an interaction with a ‘disrespectful’ sambo practitioner in the gym during his ongoing fight camp.
Having well and truly conquered the UFC’s 145-pound division, where he sits on the throne with four successful title defenses under his belt, Volkanovski is seeking new challenges that can enhance his legacy.
With that, the #1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion is looking to become the latest multi-weight titleholder. To do so, he’ll have to make the reign of Islam Makhachev a short one.
The Dagestani was crowned this past October at UFC 280, where he submitted Charles Oliveira. Not long after agreeing to a champ vs. champ showdown with Volkanovski in Australia, the bout was confirmed as the headliner for UFC 284 next February.
Despite his credentials and dominance at featherweight, Volkanovski opened as a betting underdog and has had his chances of dethroning Makhachev widely dismissed. Many have suggested that the Russian’s size, strength, and imposing wrestling game will prove too much for the Australian.
For Volkanovski, that couldn’t be further from the case — something it appears that one fighter from a similar background as Makhachev recently discovered…
Volkanovski Had To ‘Teach A Lesson’ To Sambo Practitioner
Like many fighters who hail from the mountains of Dagestan, Makhachev’s background lies in combat sambo, a sport that mixes the wrestling focus of sambo with the all-round nature of mixed martial arts.
Having seen Makhachev utilize his ability in the sport to great affect inside the Octagon, it’s perhaps to be expected that Volkanovski and his team would have trained alongside a sambo-based fighter ahead of UFC 284.
While that is the case, thing seemingly didn’t pan out great.
During a recent appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Volkanovski recalled having to apparently humble the training partner when he began pointing to things the featherweight king “needed” to do.
According to the Aussie’s account of the interaction, the sambo fighter was left with no doubt when it comes to any shortcomings in his skill set.
“Yeah man, we ended up bringing in a sambo guy. There was a guy that would come in — there’s a bit of a story to that, I won’t get into that. But I mean, we end up bringing him in. He wasn’t the most respectful in the conversations,” Volkanovski said. “When we bring him in, we bring him in sort of to teach him a lesson. I’ll leave it at that.
“I’m not usually like that, but I mean, he thought like, ‘Yeah, you’re gonna need this, need that,’ and then I showed him real quickly that we didn’t need nothing… I’m not usually like that in training, but I had to prove a bit of a point,” Volkanovski continued. “It wasn’t just me… I even got some of my guys that are like 21-year-olds, things like that… We all showed him like, ‘Do we really need you mate? Yeah, settle down.’ … We sort of taught him a lesson.”
Having seemingly taught one sambo practitioner a lesson on the mats, Volkanovski will hope to repeat the feat inside the Octagon next year when he goes toe-to-toe with Makhachev in Perth.
Given his underdog status, a victory for Alexander “The Great” would no doubt go down as one of the greatest champ-champ crownings in UFC history.
How do you think Alexander Volkanovski will fare against Islam Makhachev’s sambo wrestling style?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
