In a recent upload to his ‘FREESTYLEBENDER’ YouTube Channel, Israel Adesnaya provided an explanation on why he expects victory from Alexander Volkanovski in this weekend’s UFC 294 main event versus Islam Makhachev.
Given the fact that Volkanovski took the fight on just twelve days notice, replacing Charles Oliveira, many consider this attempt at dethroning the current lightweight king to achieve UFC gold in a second weight division a bit of a long shot. That being said, Volkanovski should never be counted out of a fight with anyone, regardless of the situation.
One man that believes Volkanovski has a good shot at getting the job done this Saturday is the former long time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who feels Volkanovski will not only win, but will finish Makhachev inside the first three rounds.
“This right here is crazy. This is like 8 Mile, his 8 Mile moment,” Adesanya said. “The guy that Alex felt he beat in his home country, got hard done by with the judges’ decision, that moment taken away a bit. They call him on 11 days’ notice and say, ‘Rematch, can you help us out.’ He says, ‘F*ck it, let’s go.’
“This is what f*cking legends are made of… I honestly believe he’s gonna do it. I think he’s gonna finish him,” Adesanya continued. “What I’m really feeling is that this is his moment, where he does this with the cojones… Finishes Makhachev, sends him into a different stratosphere. Everyone has to respect, like, ‘Yo, Volk is that dude, Volk is that guy.’ … Now he knows what he brings… He doesn’t have to worry about, ‘I need to last with this guy.’ … I honestly think third round, maybe even second round, Volk’s gonna finish him. Catch him with a shot and ground-and-pound into a finish.”
Quotes via MMA News
Nothing in the fight game is guaranteed, and even the most educated betting experts are having differing opinions on what direction this contest will go. But, the one sure thing is that if Volkanovski is able to pull off a short notice victory over the reining lightweight titleholder, and earn his second UFC championship belt in the process, it will be nothing short of a legendary moment in MMA history.