Getty Daniel Cormier
Former UFC champion-turned-analyst Daniel Cormier said that if Alexander Volkanovski defeats Islam Makhachev in February, it’ll be the “biggest” upset in the mixed martial art’s history.
Volkanovski, the reigning featherweight king, will look to do what Cormier did a few years back: become a simultaneous two-division UFC champion. He’ll battle Makhachev for his lightweight belt during the UFC 284 main event in Perth, Australia, on February 11.
Makhachev won the 155-pound strap in October at UFC 280 when he bested Charles Oliveira via second-round submission. He’ll ride the momentum of his 11-fight win streak into his first title defense against Volkanovski, but if “The Great” comes out on top, “DC” said it’ll be monumental.
“In my opinion, Volkanovski wins this fight, it’s the biggest [upset],” Cormier said in a recent video on his YouTube channel. “It’s bigger than anything we’ve seen because. Because I’m telling you, when you get into the details of this matchup, it seems a very hard match for Volkanovski to win, because his skillset is almost catered for a guy like Makhachev because of Makhachev’s ability to stand and also his size.
“Volk is a very big guy. Remember, we’ve spoken ad nauseam about how big he was when he played foot or rugby — whatever you guys want to call it over there — but that doesn’t matter. He’s still shorter. Because he’s shorter it makes for Makhachev to use the leverage against Volkanovski. I believe that this would be the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history.”
Cormier said that right now, he views Julianna Pena’s upset bantamweight title win over Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 in December 2021 as the biggest upset in UFC history.
DC Picked Makhachev to Defeat Volkanovski
During the video, Cormier picked his former teammate, Makhachev, to get his hand raised over Volkanovski.
“Love Volk, all the respect in the world for him,” Cormier said. “I don’t think he wins the fight. I think Makhachev’s going to be a little too big for him, and he’s going to wrestle him and hold him down. I think that’s the problem.”
Makhachev is regarded as one of the most dominant grapplers in the promotion, and Volkanovski is viewed as a striking technician. It’s clear that should Volkanovski want to leave the Octagon with a second belt over his shoulder, he must be able to stop Makhachev’s takedowns.
Although Volkanovski Is Ranked Higher in the Pound-for-Pound Rankings, Cormier Maintains That It’d Be the ‘Biggest’ Upset Ever
Volkanovski is currently ranked No. 1 in the official UFC male pound-for-pound rankings whereas Makhachev sits right behind him at No. 2. But, Cormier maintained that it would still be a massive upset if Makhachev wins because of who the Russian-born fighter is.
“He is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the word,” Cormier said. “So, some may ask why it would be considered an upset. But, I think it’s all in the matchup and it’s also all in the guy who he’s fighting. I know I have a friendship with Mahachev. But even if I didn’t, you could see who this guy is if you have two eyes. You could see how he matches up against pretty much everyone in the world if you have two eyes.
“But, you could also see why Alexander Volkanovski is who he is, because what he has done over the course of his last year has been nothing short of amazing.”