Getty Michael Chandler
Former UFC lightweight title contender Michael Chandler gave his take on the upcoming UFC 284 headliner between 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev and 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski.
February 11 in Perth, Australia, will mark Makhachev’s first title defense since dethroning Charles Oliveira in October at UFC 280. He’ll battle “The Great,” a man on a mission to become the promotion’s fifth-ever simultaneous two-division champion.
And Chandler thinks Volkanovski can get the job done, granted he isn’t taken down and held down by Makhachev. “Iron,” who was bested by Dustin Poirier last month at UFC 281, recently spoke with MMA Junkie about the upcoming title tilt. An admitted “fan” of Volkanovski, Chandler pointed to when The Great was a 200-pound-plus rugby player and how he may still carry that big-man strength, an obvious asset when trying to keep a fight on its feet.
“I’m a huge Volkanovski fan,” Chandler said “He’s very, very good. Is he gonna be smaller than Islam? Yes, very much so. I do think Volkanovski is gonna do better than we all think he does. He used to weigh 210 pounds, 220 pounds, whatever he was when he was playing rugby. Your body remembers that.
“You carry that strength with you. You carry that power with you. You carry just the hip strength of Islam not being able to take him down. The one thing I see is that Volkanovski is a little bit shorter, so that leverage game of if Islam gets up underneath him, puts his head underneath his chin, he’s gonna be able to lift him off the ground pretty easy.”
Chandler Predicted Volkanovski Could ‘Squeak Out a Decision’ Over Makhachev
If Volkanovski is successful in neutralizing Makhachev’s grappling prowess, Chandler said he could see The Great winning the lightweight belt via decision.
“In the striking department, Volkanovski is better than him,” Chandler said. “I think in the speed and the power department, Volkanovski is better than him. So, anything outside of Islam going out there and taking him down in the first minute of each round and holding him down, I think Volkanovski might actually squeak out a decision. Most likely not a finish but a decision.”
Volkanovski Is Arguably the Greatest Featherweight Champion of All Time
Volkanovski will test Makhachev while holding the 145-pound crown, a championship he initially won in December 2019 by beating Max Holloway via unanimous decision. He rematched “Blessed” in his first title defense and once again, the Australian notched a win over Holloway,” that time by a razor-thin split decision.
After scoring back-to-back title defenses against Brian Ortega via submission and Chan Sung Jung via TKO, Volkanovski and Holloway met in a trilogy match in July at UFC 276. And Volkanovski used the third meeting to separate himself from Holloway. It was arguably the most impressive performance of his 25-1 professional mixed martial arts career, putting a stamp on the rivalry by unanimous decision.
The only former UFC 145-pound champion Volkanovski hasn’t fought is Conor McGregor. With three victories over Holloway and a unanimous decision win against Jose Aldo, Volkanovski is potentially the best featherweight champion of all time.