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UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling has once again claimed that he could submit featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski on the mats.
This past weekend, Volkanovski took reigning lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev all the way in their champion vs. champion superfight at UFC 284, ultimately losing via unanimous decision on the scorecards.
While the Dagestani’s renowned sambo wrestling game, combined with a submission arsenal that’s brought him 11 tap-out wins in his career, has made him an impossible puzzle to crack for the 155-pound roster to date, the Australian came close to solving it.
Backing up his pre-fight words, “Alexander the Great” was able to withstand much of Makhachev’s grappling and didn’t let the 31-year-old slip an arm under his chin while in some compromising positions.
But although his strength and takedown defense perhaps surprised some, his ability to avoid submissions is well known following UFC 266 in 2021, where Volkanovski escaped from an incredibly tight guillotine choke, as well as a locked-in triangle against submission specialist Brian Ortega.
Image: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
But despite the Aussie having never been submitted in 27 professional fights and avoiding the holds that the likes of Ortega and Makhachev have beaten plenty of foes with, the reigning king below Volkanovski fancies his chances.
Sterling Backs His BJJ Credentials Versus Volkanovski
Following the UFC 276 pay-per-view last year, which saw Alexander Volkanovski dismantle featherweight great Max Holloway across five rounds, bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling outlined how he’d bypass the Aussie’s striking game, claiming he’d “easily” take him down and submit him.
And in spite of Volkanovski’s latest performance and impressive grappling display, “Funk Master” hasn’t changed his view.
After being asked on Twitter if he really thinks he could force Volkanovski to tap, Sterling affirmed that he’s “100%” confident he could find a submission whilst rolling with the long-reigning featherweight champ.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt did, however, backtrack on the “easy” adjective.
“If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x,” Sterling said. “Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him.”
If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x. Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him https://t.co/BbBGM45agp— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 13, 2023
Sterling’s confidence comes at a time when he seemingly has one eye on a possible move to 145 pounds in the future.
As well as previously noting the division as his likely destination when he looks to pass the throne over to teammate Merab Dvalishvili, “Funk Master” recently claimed he could make the switch as soon as after his next defense, expected to come against Henry Cejudo in the first half of this year.
Should that come to fruition, Volkanovski may well have another narrative to attempt to prove wrong.
Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling’s claim that he could submit Alexander Volkanovski?
UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling has once again claimed that he could submit featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski on the mats.
This past weekend, Volkanovski took reigning lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev all the way in their champion vs. champion superfight at UFC 284, ultimately losing via unanimous decision on the scorecards.
While the Dagestani’s renowned sambo wrestling game, combined with a submission arsenal that’s brought him 11 tap-out wins in his career, has made him an impossible puzzle to crack for the 155-pound roster to date, the Australian came close to solving it.
Backing up his pre-fight words, “Alexander the Great” was able to withstand much of Makhachev’s grappling and didn’t let the 31-year-old slip an arm under his chin while in some compromising positions.
But although his strength and takedown defense perhaps surprised some, his ability to avoid submissions is well known following UFC 266 in 2021, where Volkanovski escaped from an incredibly tight guillotine choke, as well as a locked-in triangle against submission specialist Brian Ortega.
Image: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
But despite the Aussie having never been submitted in 27 professional fights and avoiding the holds that the likes of Ortega and Makhachev have beaten plenty of foes with, the reigning king below Volkanovski fancies his chances.
Sterling Backs His BJJ Credentials Versus Volkanovski
Following the UFC 276 pay-per-view last year, which saw Alexander Volkanovski dismantle featherweight great Max Holloway across five rounds, bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling outlined how he’d bypass the Aussie’s striking game, claiming he’d “easily” take him down and submit him.
And in spite of Volkanovski’s latest performance and impressive grappling display, “Funk Master” hasn’t changed his view.
After being asked on Twitter if he really thinks he could force Volkanovski to tap, Sterling affirmed that he’s “100%” confident he could find a submission whilst rolling with the long-reigning featherweight champ.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt did, however, backtrack on the “easy” adjective.
“If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x,” Sterling said. “Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him.”
If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x. Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him https://t.co/BbBGM45agp
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 13, 2023[/quote]
Sterling’s confidence comes at a time when he seemingly has one eye on a possible move to 145 pounds in the future.
As well as previously noting the division as his likely destination when he looks to pass the throne over to teammate Merab Dvalishvili, “Funk Master” recently claimed he could make the switch as soon as after his next defense, expected to come against Henry Cejudo in the first half of this year.
Should that come to fruition, Volkanovski may well have another narrative to attempt to prove wrong.
Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling’s claim that he could submit Alexander Volkanovski?
Click here to view the article.
This past weekend, Volkanovski took reigning lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev all the way in their champion vs. champion superfight at UFC 284, ultimately losing via unanimous decision on the scorecards.
While the Dagestani’s renowned sambo wrestling game, combined with a submission arsenal that’s brought him 11 tap-out wins in his career, has made him an impossible puzzle to crack for the 155-pound roster to date, the Australian came close to solving it.
Backing up his pre-fight words, “Alexander the Great” was able to withstand much of Makhachev’s grappling and didn’t let the 31-year-old slip an arm under his chin while in some compromising positions.
But although his strength and takedown defense perhaps surprised some, his ability to avoid submissions is well known following UFC 266 in 2021, where Volkanovski escaped from an incredibly tight guillotine choke, as well as a locked-in triangle against submission specialist Brian Ortega.
Image: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
But despite the Aussie having never been submitted in 27 professional fights and avoiding the holds that the likes of Ortega and Makhachev have beaten plenty of foes with, the reigning king below Volkanovski fancies his chances.
Sterling Backs His BJJ Credentials Versus Volkanovski
Following the UFC 276 pay-per-view last year, which saw Alexander Volkanovski dismantle featherweight great Max Holloway across five rounds, bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling outlined how he’d bypass the Aussie’s striking game, claiming he’d “easily” take him down and submit him.
And in spite of Volkanovski’s latest performance and impressive grappling display, “Funk Master” hasn’t changed his view.
After being asked on Twitter if he really thinks he could force Volkanovski to tap, Sterling affirmed that he’s “100%” confident he could find a submission whilst rolling with the long-reigning featherweight champ.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt did, however, backtrack on the “easy” adjective.
“If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x,” Sterling said. “Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him.”
If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x. Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him https://t.co/BbBGM45agp— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 13, 2023
Sterling’s confidence comes at a time when he seemingly has one eye on a possible move to 145 pounds in the future.
As well as previously noting the division as his likely destination when he looks to pass the throne over to teammate Merab Dvalishvili, “Funk Master” recently claimed he could make the switch as soon as after his next defense, expected to come against Henry Cejudo in the first half of this year.
Should that come to fruition, Volkanovski may well have another narrative to attempt to prove wrong.
Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling’s claim that he could submit Alexander Volkanovski?
UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling has once again claimed that he could submit featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski on the mats.
This past weekend, Volkanovski took reigning lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev all the way in their champion vs. champion superfight at UFC 284, ultimately losing via unanimous decision on the scorecards.
While the Dagestani’s renowned sambo wrestling game, combined with a submission arsenal that’s brought him 11 tap-out wins in his career, has made him an impossible puzzle to crack for the 155-pound roster to date, the Australian came close to solving it.
Backing up his pre-fight words, “Alexander the Great” was able to withstand much of Makhachev’s grappling and didn’t let the 31-year-old slip an arm under his chin while in some compromising positions.
But although his strength and takedown defense perhaps surprised some, his ability to avoid submissions is well known following UFC 266 in 2021, where Volkanovski escaped from an incredibly tight guillotine choke, as well as a locked-in triangle against submission specialist Brian Ortega.
But despite the Aussie having never been submitted in 27 professional fights and avoiding the holds that the likes of Ortega and Makhachev have beaten plenty of foes with, the reigning king below Volkanovski fancies his chances.
Sterling Backs His BJJ Credentials Versus Volkanovski
Following the UFC 276 pay-per-view last year, which saw Alexander Volkanovski dismantle featherweight great Max Holloway across five rounds, bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling outlined how he’d bypass the Aussie’s striking game, claiming he’d “easily” take him down and submit him.
And in spite of Volkanovski’s latest performance and impressive grappling display, “Funk Master” hasn’t changed his view.
After being asked on Twitter if he really thinks he could force Volkanovski to tap, Sterling affirmed that he’s “100%” confident he could find a submission whilst rolling with the long-reigning featherweight champ.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt did, however, backtrack on the “easy” adjective.
“If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x,” Sterling said. “Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him.”
If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x. Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him https://t.co/BbBGM45agp
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 13, 2023[/quote]
Sterling’s confidence comes at a time when he seemingly has one eye on a possible move to 145 pounds in the future.
As well as previously noting the division as his likely destination when he looks to pass the throne over to teammate Merab Dvalishvili, “Funk Master” recently claimed he could make the switch as soon as after his next defense, expected to come against Henry Cejudo in the first half of this year.
Should that come to fruition, Volkanovski may well have another narrative to attempt to prove wrong.
Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling’s claim that he could submit Alexander Volkanovski?
Click here to view the article.
