Volkanovski Was Taken Aback To Learn That Khabib Will Not Coner Makhachev At UFC 284

At UFC 284, Islam Makhachev will face Alexander Volkanovski, the current featherweight champion, in an attempt to defend his lightweight title for the first time. Before the eagerly awaited super fight, it was made public that Khabib Nurmagomedov had decided to retire from MMA coaching and wouldn’t be in Makhachev’s corner.

Volkanovski claims he was stunned when he heard the news, but he doesn’t want that to be used as an excuse if he defeats Makhachev later this month.

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“I guess I was surprised at the start, but it doesn’t matter, Islam is still going to turn up. I know people push narratives and all that type of stuff. At the end of the day, Islam is a great fighter,” Volkanovski said on The MMA Hour. “He’s the one who’s going in there and doing his work, and Khabib will tell you that himself.

So again, if my hand gets raised, don’t be [complaining]. These are excuses. He’s fought plenty of times with Khabib not in his corner, he’s done it before and he’s a great fighter. He’s going to turn up and show up in the Octagon anyway, even if Khabib is there or not.

So I’m preparing for the same Islam that I’ve seen, and again, if things go how I plan on them going, don’t start changing narratives and start using all these excuses, because it’s the guy in front of him that’s the problem.”

As the current featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski enters his UFC 284 lightweight title contest. Last time out, he defeated Max Holloway by unanimous decision to successfully defend his featherweight title for the fourth time.

Furthermore, Volkanovski holds notable victories over Brian Ortega, Korean Zombie, Jose Aldo, and Chad Mendes, among others, throughout his career.