Alexander Volkanovski, UFC featherweight champion and pound-for-pound front-runner, recently got the chance to do some light training with another champion, the Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets.
Volkanovski made his latest appearance with a successful title defense by stoppage victory over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290, and has teased a return to the Octagon as early as January. While this timeline has not been confirmed by the organization, many expect that we will see ‘The Great’ in the cage in the first part of 2024.
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pic.twitter.com/irwOrpJR8A— 記録員 (@ykkymma) September 29, 2023
It seems the fight that Volkanovski is gunning after the hardest is the lightweight title rematch with Islam Makhachev, who was won on the judges scorecards by a narrow margin in their first meeting in February at UFC 284. That being said, it is unclear if Volkanovski with get what he wants, as Makhachev will first face Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 next month.
Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets has been a long time MMA fan, and avidly attends the UFC’s events. In a video recently released on Volkanovski’s YouTube channel, the NBA champion was seen doing some light training with the featherweight king, and even held his own for a short time during a grappling exchange between the pair.
Alex Volkanovski tried to submit NBA player Jamal Murray in 60 secondspic.twitter.com/Sd8iMuXZOI
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 28, 2023
While Volkanovski was unable to submit the much larger man in before the 1-minute round timer was up, he came close at one point as he worked for a rear naked choke, and even tried to sneak in a quick guillotine just before the round expired.
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