Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev are two of the best fighters on the UFC’s roster today. Both are champions and have even fought each other in an exciting couple of fights. As such, we will be making a comparison between Volkanovski and Makhachev, in terms of the record, including wins and losses and other important stats.

The featherweight champion of the world has been on a run of a lifetime. He has remained undefeated in his division ever since winning the championship from Max Holloway at UFC 245. Meanwhile, Alexander Volkanovski also made his mark as a light when he came dangerously close to winning the title from Islam Makhachev. Now, the featherweight champ is headed for yet another title defense against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298.

Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev’s previous fights

The reigning featherweight champion and the reigning lightweight champion have faced each other twice in a matter of a few months in 2023. The first time Alexander Volkanovski fought Islam, Makhachev was at UFC 284. It was a very close fight as ‘The Great’ took Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protégé to the limit. However, Volkanovski failed to capture the title and his quest to become a double champ took a backstep, as Makhachev scored a unanimous decision win.

Many fans and personalities believe that Alexander Volkanovski could beat Islam Makhachev if they faced another time. As such, the next fight took place at UFC 294. The Australian stepped up to take Charles Oliveira‘s place, who was the original opponent for Makhachev, but he pulled out due to an injury.

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Moreover, Volkanovski took that fight on 10 days’ notice, and as such, the fight did not end well for him. The Dagestan native defeated the featherweight champion with a head kick in the very first round of the fight. The outcome of the fight affected him emotionally, but ‘The Great’ is now gearing up for his sixth title defense at UFC 298. He will take on the undefeated Ilia Topuria this coming weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Now, let us take a look at Volkanovski’s MMA record so far.

A look at Volkanovski’s MMA record

The featherweight champion joined the UFC back in 2016 with a 13-1 record. Then he went on an incredible 12-fight winning streak till 2023. During that time, he defeated the likes of Brian Ortega, Max Holloway, and Hall of Famer Jose Aldo, just to name a few. Islam Makhachev was the one who broke his streak, after which Volkanovski added another win by defeating Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290.

Alexander Volkanovski has proved himself to be one of the most lethal strikers in the UFC. In his overall MMA career, the Australian has won 13 out of the 29 fights he’s competed in with knockouts. Furthermore, he also has 3 wins by submission and 10 wins by decision. Meanwhile, Volkanovski has suffered only three losses in his professional fighting career. Now, let’s jump over to Islam Makhachev and check the stats on his record.

Makhachev’s overall MMA record

Islam Makhachev has proved himself to be on the same path as his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC. A gold medalist in combat sambo, Islam Makhachev joined the UFC a year earlier than Alexander Volkanovski in 2015 with an undefeated 11-0 record. However, he wasn’t going to remain undefeated for long. Makhachev tasted his first and only defeat against Adriano Martins at UFC 192. But then he went on to develop another winning streak of 13 consecutive wins.

Much like the fighters from Dagestan, Islam Makhachev is a world-class grappler and wrestler. He has fought in 26 fights till now in his overall MMA career and won 11 of them by submission. Furthermore, Makhachev also has 5 wins by knockouts and 9 wins by decision. Many even believe that he could very well surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov in the coming years.

Alexander Volkanovski lost twice to Islam Makhachev, which makes it hard for him to get a trilogy fight. Nevertheless, he will have to shift his focus on Ilia Topuria, who has been on a roll while being undefeated in the UFC.

Will Volkanovski be able to humble the Georgian-Spanish fighter like he is planning to do? We will find that out on February 17.

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