Media Arnold Allen Unsure of Volkanovski's Quick Turn Around. Thinks its a 'Silly Decision' Which Could 'See His Legacy Fall Apart.'

[Stump]

I think Volk is one of the most incredible natural fighters we've ever seen. His latent strength and speed and his ability to quickly learn complex technical skillsets like footwork-headmovement-punch combinations and takedown defence is really incredible.

That said, he is at the end of the line for FW. 35 is ancient. He knows he has another couple of years, at best, before he's a shell of his former greatness. I can't say I blame him for trying to rush it. He's gotta take some gambles. Hopefully he can stay safe through training and then if he gets a quick finish, he can have another fight in short order and add to his legacy. If not that, if he plays it safe and takes months off to recover, he could be done as a top fighter.

 

[nebulousned]

he wasn't even knocked out cold and it's 5 months

 

[Stump]

Guys who are 35 and over are 1-19 in title fights against under 35ers at WW and below (has never happened at LW and below). Get the plus money on Topuria. Volk's in trouble.

Whoah, that's a great stat to back up what I've noticed.

Truly though, Volk is a singular talent. If anyone can do it, he can.

 

[CrimsonFan]

Guys who are 35 and over are 1-19 in title fights against under 35ers at WW and below (has never happened at LW and below). Get the plus money on Topuria. Volk's in trouble.

Yep. Volk is old as hell for that weight class and coming off a KO loss.

And Ilia is really impressive. All the writing is on the wall for Volk to lose his belt here. If Volk pulls it off it would be impressive.. im my mind he's an underdog here

 

[TheTickG]

Arnold Allen isn’t sure which way he’s leaning for his division’s next title fight at UFC 298, but he already sees at least one major red flag for Alexander Volkanovski.

Volkanovski defends his featherweight title on Feb. 17 in the main event of the Anaheim pay-per-view against undefeated challenger Ilia Topuria. The bout comes less than four months after Volkanovski suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev in a short-notice rematch this past October, and Allen can’t help but wonder if the 35-year-old champion is making a mistake by committing to such a quick turnaround.



Volkanovski is unbeaten as a featherweight since debuting in the UFC in 2016 and already stands among the greatest 145-pound fighters in MMA history, holding victories over top names such as Max Holloway (x3), Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodriguez. His bout against Topuria will mark the sixth defense of his UFC title.

However, Volkanovski is also the oldest champion under 170 pounds in UFC history, and his once invincible veneer was cracked not once, but twice in 2023 by Makhachev. The rematch at UFC 294, in particular, was a disastrous affair, as Volkanovski stepped in as an injury replacement on less than two weeks’ notice and suffered a devastating head-kick knockout — his first knockout loss since a 2013 welterweight bout on the regional scene.

In comparing MMA to boxing, Allen noted that if the roles were reversed and the pound-for-pound king of the sweet science, Terence Crawford, were presented a bout under the same circumstances as Volkanovski, “it wouldn’t even be considered.” But MMA is a different beast with different expectations thrust on its athletes, of course, and while Allen admitted that he likely would’ve made the same decision as Volkanovski, he still was surprised that the featherweight champ accepted the Makhachev rematch in the state he did.



Link: Arnold Allen Talks Volkanovski

His last fight was too soon. His next fight is too soon too.