UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is aiming to be an emergency backup option for the looming lightweight title bout at UFC 280.
That pay-per-view headliner bout between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev takes place on October 22nd in Abu Dhabi, and Volkanovski yesterday expressed his desire to be on call to fill in for either man should a withdrawal occur.
“I want to get back in,” Volkanovski said in an interview with Daniel Cormier. “…If they need a backup fighter, I’m gonna be the guy that’s gonna be there… I’m telling them I want to be there. I want to be the backup. I’m going to be fit enough, I’m going to get enough of a camp to stay in good enough fitness, and I’ll do it. That’s the type of guy I am.
As I always say, I’ll make sure no one else can take that opportunity away from me. Because if someone else goes and does that, you know what I mean, then that puts me on the side and then I got to wait even longer. I don’t like that. I’m happy to sit there and if someone gets injured, or doesn’t make weight, or whatever, I’ll slip in.”
The AllStar MMA roundup
- UFC 278: Sean Woodson claims Luis Saldaña ‘doesn’t like dealing with pressure’
- UFC San Diego: Dominick Cruz needs to show a ‘new feather in his cap’ in order to get past Marlon Vera, says Dan Hooker
- UFC San Diego: Ode Osbourne says ‘I’ll do what I want to do’ regardless of Tyson Nam’s gameplan
The best of the rest
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Glover Teixeira 2 in talks for UFC 282 in December – MMAFighting.com
- Anthony Smith explains re-signing with UFC, ‘intrinsic value’ of ending career there – MMAFighting.com
- Daniel Cormier doesn’t think move to Jackson Wink MMA will help Tony Ferguson: ‘His time has passed’ – MMAjunkie.com
- Dana White shuts down talk of UFC fighters not getting enough money, says they “get paid what they’re supposed to get paid” – BJPenn.com
- Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts after Charles Oliveira suggests Islam Makhachev and his team are “arrogant” individuals: “I simply think he’s starting to feel the pressure of the fight” – BJPenn.com
The soapbox
USADA gets on the wrong side of the champ:
DC on the media twisting words:
Islam tells Brazilian fans he’s the next 155-champ:
Jamaal Hill picking fights on the internet:
T-Wrecks still calling for the Baddy:
The Action Man reflects on his entry into the top 15:
The morning view
JHK catches up with two Dana White’s Contender Series challengers ahead of what could be their big break:
A rare face-to-face interview ahead of this weekend’s UFC main event:
Dana White goes OFF on the internet for GQ Sports:
Stylebender and Hangman break down there dream UFC matchups:
Done deals
This week
- Erin Blanchfield to fight Molly McCann at UFC 281 on November 12th (per Erin Blanchfield)
- Darian Weeks to fight Yohan Lainesse at UFC 279 on September 10th (per Tudor Leonte)
- Ramona Pascual to fight Tamires Vidal at UFC event on November 5th (per Nolan King)
- Raoni Barcelos to fight Trevin Jones at UFC event on October 1st
- Roman Dolidze to fight Phil Hawes at UFC event on October 29th (per Sentanta Sports)
- Tagir Ulanbekov to fight Nate Maness at UFC event on November 5th (per James Lynch)
- Ricardo Ramos to fight Danny Henry at UFC Paris on September 3rd (per Paradigm Sports)
- Tony Gravely to fight Javid Basharat at UFC event on September 17th (per Farah Hannoun)
- Eryk Anders to fight Kyle Daukaus at UFC event on December 3rd (per Iridium Sports)
- Christian Rodriguez to fight Garrett Armfield at UFC event on October 29th (per Marcel Dorff)
- Mana Martinez to fight Brandon Davis at UFC event on October 15th (per Iridium Sports)
- Armen Petrosyan to fight AJ Dobson at UFC 280 on October 22nd (per MMA Fight Universe)
- Kleydson Rodrigues to fight Vinicius Salvador at UFC event on October 29th (per Raphael Marinho/Combate)
- Abubakar Nurmagomedov to fight Gadzhi Omargadzhiev at UFC 280 on October 22nd (per Red Fury MMA)
- Cody Garbrandt to fight Rani Yahya at UFC event on October 1st (per Alex Behunin)
On this day in MMA…
On the 12th of August, 2011, Ronda Rousey made her Strikeforce debut at Strikeforce Challengers 18.
Rousey, who was 2-0 at the time and just three years removed from her 2008 Olympic Games performance, would submit Sarah D’Alelio (who coincidentally holds a win over Amanda Nunes, the same woman who retired Rousey) just 25 seconds into the first round via arm bar.
The former Olympian would win the Strikeforce Bantamweight title less than a year later and ultimately become the reason Dana White changed his stance on women competing in the UFC.
