UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is looking to become the first Dagestan native to win the best pound-for-pond fighter tag in the UFC. He recently appeared in the pre-fight press conference of UFC 284 and mentioned that he wants to earn a knockout victory against Alexander Volkanovski this weekend.

UFC 284 will have one of the biggest main events of 2023. The Makhachev vs Volkanovski fight is predicted to has broken pay-per-view records in the Oceanic nations of Australia and New Zealand. UFC PPV monster Conor McGregor previously held the record in one of his matches.

Makhachev is an excellent grappler. He was a combat sambo champion before coming to the UFC and won the Gold medal at the World Combat Sambo Championship in 2016. He earned 11 of his 23 wins in MMA by submission.

However, Alexander Volkanovski is known for his second-to-none striking skills. He has excellent range control and can throw in punches from a variety of angles. Besides that, ‘The Great’ is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Islam Makhachev wants to knock Volkanovski out

During the press conference, Makhachev was asked about Alexander Volkanovski’s claim that he will fail if he tries to knock out the featherweight champion. The reporter who asked that question also mentioned how Kamaru Usman tried to use that tactic ineffectively against Leon Edwards. However, the Dagestan native confidently replied that it was his goal to knock out Alexander Volkanovski.

Makhachev said, “This is my goal.” He added, “Because Alex [Volkanovski] is a great striker, I want to knock him out there and take his place to be pound-for-pound king.” Makhachev wants to beat the Aussie champion at his own game to leave no stone unturned.

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The current lightweight champion had warned Volkanovski earlier about entering the lightweight division. Makhachev has mentioned many times that he is the top fighter in the division in previous interviews, leading up to UFC 284. But ‘The Great’ stated that he likes to get challenged and is well aware of Makhachev’s caliber inside the octagon. Both fighters have expressed their respect for one another.

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However, Makhachev claims that his fighting style is very different from Volkanovski’s past opponents. The Dagestan native claims to have a plan for his fight against ‘The Great’ and believes that his plan will pan out successfully.

What are your thoughts on the UFC 284 main event? Who will win? Let us know in the comments below.

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