Alexander Volkanovski feels Islam Makhachev did not do enough to bag P4P #1 spot, says he'd 'squash' the Dagestani at featherweight

Alexander Volkanovski weighed in on the ongoing pound-for-pound debate after Islam Makhachev earned a unanimous decision to retain his lightweight championship at UFC 284 this past Saturday.

During his appearance on The MMA Hour, Volkanovski opened up about his loss to the lightweight king in what many believed to be a controversial decision. He mentioned that despite the loss, it didn't feel as though Makhachev did enough to take his spot on the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings list:

"Pound-for-pound, again, I don't want to be that guy but, you know, I still think I proved that I'm the better fighter and I'm pound-for-pound number-one, but that's not up to me." [2:39:29 - 2:39:41]

'The Great' also brought up that he'd like a rematch with the lightweight champion. He mentioned that he wouldn't have any trouble defeating the Dagestani at featherweight, but would still be confident regardless of what weight division they compete in, adding:

"I don't wanna be that guy but if he was just a featherweight in my division, I squash him. I squash him and it's a walk in the park...I don't need him to be a featherweight. He could be a welterweight, he could go wherever we fight he could get as big as he wants with IVs and whatever he does, it doesn't matter." [2:38:49 - 2:39:27]

Watch the full episode below:

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Will the UFC book Alexander Volkanovski vs. Islam Makhachev 2 next?

One of the big topics of discussion following UFC 284 was whether the promotion would book an immediate rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Islam Makhachev.

However, with Alexander Volkanovski now expected to defend his featherweight title against newly crowned interim champion Yair Rodriguez, the rematch with Islam Makhachev will have to wait.

With the Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev and Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush lightweight scraps on the horizon, Makhachev will likely defend his title against one of the victors from these bouts.

If both Makhachev and Volkanovski continue to defend their titles this year, a rematch is inevitable, considering how competitive their fight was, and the subsequent post-fight reaction from the MMA community.