Mendes was way past it, and even then gave Volk all he could handle. Aldo too was wayyyyy past it lol. The only fight I give Volk props for is the first Max fight (he won that through clever strategy), but don't you dare pretend he won the second fight, he didn't.
Now when it comes to fighters who I have no doubt will beat him moving forward, here you go:
1) Max (Style wise though, this is actually Volks best matchup)
2) Ortega
3) Kattar
4) Emmett
5) Ige
6) Barboza
The above guys smash him, I have no doubt.
The same Aldo that just fought for a title and beat Moraes? (No one thought the judges scored that fight properly)
1. Max - I don't see Max getting another shot against Volk anytime soon. No one has interest in a dead rubber. They had close fights but Max lost both of them.
2. Ortega - Out of that list Ortega is the best chance of beating Volk. Ortega won't have any issue if Volk takes him to the ground and Volk will know this. He might try and keep it standing and go to his wrestling if that doesn't work out. Will be an interesting fight for sure.
3. Kattar - I am a big fan of Kattar. I just don't see him being able to stop Volk from implementing his game. I can see a boring fight with Volk winning a UD.
4. Emmet - Josh is going to be coming off an injury and has at least 1, more likely 2 fights before he gets a shot at the title. Assuming that happens by the time he gets his shot he would almost 37. I'm not going to think too hard about how that fight goes because I don't think it will happen.
5. Ige - Another fight that most likely won't happen. He was lucky to get the two split decision wins. A different result on the split would have meant he wouldn't even be ranked now.
6. Barboza - We have all seen how Barboza goes against decent wrestlers. Volk is also extremely tough. I think he would be able to take the shots Barboza throws and eventually get the UD.
I think apart from Ortega the thing to beat Volk will be father time. Things start to decline once you are over 30. I think he only has a few good years left in him before he starts to decline noticeably.
It is pretty impressive that Volk is undefeated in his last 19 fights (7 years). His recent resume is pretty impressive, probably one of the best in the UFC. Holloway x 2, Aldo and Mendes are some quality opponents.
It's a shame we will never see McGregor or Poirier drop back down to FW. They would be some interesting match ups.