Islam Makhachev coach expects Alexander Volkanovski 'to take more chances' in rematch

16/10/2023 17:00

Islam Makhachev could be facing the most dangerous version of Alexander Volkanovski yet.

Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez expects Volkanovski to employ an aggressive offensive strategy when he challenges Makhachev for the lightweight title for the second time in eight months at UFC 294 next Saturday. Volkanovski, the reigning featherweight champion, lost a unanimous decision to Makhachev at UFC 285, but gets a shot at redemption after stepping in on short notice for an injured Charles Oliveira.

Their first meeting was a thrilling five-round contest worthy of the champion vs. champion hype, and Mendez is ready for Volkanovski to leave it all in the octagon in the rematch.

"[Volkanovski is] going to do more," Mendez told Submission Radio (transcription via Denis Shkuratov). "He's going to take chances. He's going to take more chances than last time. He's not going to be worried about the takedowns, because he's obviously survived the ground last time and he also did his best work on the ground, not in the standup. So, he's not going to be afraid of anything.

"That's the one thing I feel he's going to do, is he's going to come and he's going to come throwing. He's not going to be too cautious. He's just going to come because feels he can handle whatever it is when he has to throw. But we'll see. I mean, you can feel whatever you want to feel, but when you're in there, it's not what I think, it's not what you think, it's not what anybody thinks, it's what these two are going to do. And can they handle it? I'm saying yes, but who knows?"

Part of the reason Mendez and his team are excited about Makhachev facing an opponent he recently beat is the opportunity to prove definitively that Makhachev is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the business. Due to Makhachev being the bigger fighter in the matchup and the narrow margin of victory in his first fight with Volkanovski, the lightweight champion was not crowned the unanimous pound-for-pound king after UFC 284.

Makhachev is currently No. 2 behind Volkanovski in MMA Fighting's Pound-for-Pound Rankings and No. 3 behind Jon Jones and Volkanovski in the UFC's official rankings.

Though Mendez anticipates another win, he won't go as far as to predict a finish.

"That great cardio isn't going to allow [Volkanoski] to fade at any time," Mendez said. "Unless he's being damaged, he's not going to fade. So if he's not being damaged very much, he's going to go five rounds. I'm expecting a five-round war like last time. That's what I'm expecting.

"I don't like going early rounds or this and that. I like going the full distance, so my mind is engaged throughout the whole five rounds, so I have to respect how great of a champion he is and I have to continue to respect that like I did last time. I have to respect them again and that's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to disrespect how great he is. 'Oh, we're going to finish him in the first or second round.' Nope. In my eyes, no way."

Volkanovski has been calling for another crack at Makhachev since almost immediately after the verdict from the first fight was read out. Following the loss, Volkanovski returned to featherweight, where he successfully defended his title with a lopsided third-round TKO victory over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290. Since then, he has frequently mentioned in interviews that he is eyeing the Makhachev rematch.

It's a rematch that Mendez has also wanted, and now that it's here, he considers it a blessing for him and the UFC.

"I was kind of thinking, did I wish this to happen or something?" Mendez said. "Because I'm the one that was talking about, for me, this is the fight that I think needs to happen. Because I wanted this fight for me, personally. Not for Islam. Islam will fight anybody, but I wanted this one for me, because I felt that there was unfinished business. Not that I was thinking, 'Oh, we didn't win.' We did win — and we won clearly, in my eyes. We won clearly. I think in everybody's eyes, when they watch it, turn the volume off, watch the fight and you'll see that Islam won the majority of every round. If it wasn't for the last 45 seconds of the fifth round, he definitely lost that one, but other than that … but still, there's too much, 'No this, no that'. So I just want clarity. I want clarity. And Islam deserves, in my opinion, to be pound-for-pound number one. And this will justify that."

"For the UFC, I think they had a great main event, now they got a way better main event," Mendez added. "They got, in my opinion, the all-time greatest rivalry in the champion versus champion UFC history."

Watch Mendez's full interview with Submission Radio below.