UFC 280: Islam Makhachev reveals run-in with Alexander Volkanovski

Islam Makhachev ran into Alexander Volkanovski this week and confirmed to the media that he’s interested in fighting the featherweight king.

All eyes are on Abu Dhabi this week as the world of mixed martial arts gathers around for one of the biggest and best events of the year – UFC 280.

The card is absolutely stacked with talent from top to bottom but the main attraction, of course, is the UFC lightweight championship showdown between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.

While ‘Do Bronx’ has already tasted the gold before, this serves as Makhachev’s first ever opportunity to become a UFC champion.

Read more: UFC 280: Date, Fight Card, Location, Tickets and more

The plan is obviously for him to take on the Brazilian sensation Oliveira on Saturday night but if anything happens between now and the weekend, 145-pound champ Alexander Volkanovski will be weighing in on Friday as a back-up fighter for the encounter.

When asked about how he feels regarding Volkanovski possibly taking him on in the future, Islam had the following to say.

“I meet Volkanovski in the downstairs, he’s like, a short guy. I ask him hey, why you need this, cutting weight right now. But if I beat Volkanovski, people are gonna say, but people always talk some. I want to fight Charles and I hope he’s gonna make weight.

“But it doesn’t matter. This camp I trained so hard, it doesn’t matter who is gonna be there.”

Makhachev was then asked whether or not he’d be interested in fighting Volkanovski in Australia next year.

“It’s gonna be before Ramadan [his next fight]. This is gonna be a good fight, always, when the champion from other divisions fights with other champions. It’s a big fight and very interesting fight for all the fans.”

Regardless of who wins