![]() ![]() “He’s an interim champion, so yeah, let him have it, it’s alright,” Volkanovski said. Volkanovski added that he doesn’t take offense when fans and media refer to Mexico as claiming three champions currently in the UFC, even if Rodriguez’s belt may not be as official as those won by flyweight titleholders Brandon Moreno and Alexa Grasso. But again, he’s just sort of molded everything together to make that perfect style for himself.” But now you’re seeing him a lot better at all ranges, and even his ground game - obviously he’s the type of guy that always goes for the finish, even on the feet and then on the ground. I think earlier on in his career, he was probably much better at one range. “Even when you’re close, you don’t know whether he’s exiting, whether he’s throwing spinning elbows, flying knees, teep kicks, whatever it is. He’s always been good there, but then now he’s just so good at all ranges,” Volkanovski said. “He’s always been very good with these spin kicks and flashy stuff at a longer range. After joining the UFC early in his 20s, “El Pantera” had to overcome a few hard lessons and bad losses on his road to title contention, however Rodriguez’s victory over Emmett showcased a new level of growth and maturity in his skill set. His path differs greatly from Rodriguez’s. Volkanovski’s title reign includes a trio of victories over former champ Max Holloway, plus dominant wins over Brian Ortega and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Volkanovski, 34, may have fallen short in his attempt to become a two-division UFC champion this past February when his 22-fight win streak was snapped at the hands of Islam Makhachev at UFC 284, however the native Australian is still perfect as a UFC featherweight, racking up at 10-0 record in the octagon at 145 pounds. But I’m well prepared and I’m ready to go out there and show why I’m the man.” But does that mean he’s not dangerous? No, he’s very dangerous. I can go out there and make this look easy. Can I go out there and make this look easy? Yeah, I can. But then you’re talking about opponents that have more of a chance of doing that, it probably is Yair Rodriguez, when you look at him having that danger factor. “Saying ‘lucky punch’ is probably pretty disrespectful, but someone that catches me. That’s why I believe the way I lose to anyone in my division is that someone landing a lucky punch, catching me. And that’s why you can never really count me out. There’s a reason why I say it every time for my fights - I don’t think I’m athletically gifted or anything like that, it’s all the other stuff that make me the champion I am, and make me who I am. I’ve got all the tools and I’ve got all the right tools to be where I am right now. “But people just quickly forget about that fight IQ, about my resilience and my durability. ![]() “He’s got that danger element,” Volkanovski said Wednesday on The MMA Hour. It was just one of many dynamic and destructive finishes the Mexican talent has authored since becoming the inaugural winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America in 2014, and Volkanovski isn’t taking the challenge lightly. Rodriguez captured the interim strap with an eye-opening second-round stoppage of Josh Emmett this past February. The reigning UFC featherweight champion seeks his fifth defense of the belt on Saturday when he takes on interim champ Yair Rodriguez in a much-anticipated title unification bout. Alexander Volkanovski is well aware of what he’s up against at UFC 290. ![]()
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