Alexander Volkanovski heaps praise on surging featherweight prospect

On a recent episode of Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski praised No.4-ranked 145-pounder Arnold Allen.

Michael Bisping asked the featherweight champion if he likes Allen as a potential future matchup.

Volkanovski responded:

"He [Arnold Allen] is a great fighter, [and] a great human being too. So, I’ve got a lot of respect for the kid. And, I want him to do good, as well. And he’s right there, right?”

Skip to 52:25 for Volkanovski's take on Arnold Allen:

Volkanovski then spoke about Arnold Allen's position in the featherweight division before praising the Englishman for being a fighter who tries to earn his stripes, and not someone who expects handouts:

"He’s definitely right there. And again, he’s the one who’s at least trying to go out there and earn it. You know, he’s the type of guy with an ‘earn, not given’ kind of attitude. And, I love that.”

Arnold Allen last won a TKO against Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Night 213.

With a win over Kattar, Allen moved up the rankings to No.4 in the featherweight division. He is undefeated in the UFC with 10 fights and has an overall MMA record of 19-1.

Alexander Volkanovski last fought former champion Max Holloway for the third time at UFC 276. The bout was a five-round war that saw Volkanovski put a beatdown on 'Blessed'.

The Australian fighter is scheduled to face lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for a shot at double UFC gold at UFC 284. The bout is slated to take place on February 12, 2023, at the RAC Center in Perth, Australia.

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Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski: How will the bout play out?

One of the most anticipated bouts of the first quarter of 2023 is the fight where featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski will step up a weight class to challenge newly minted lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The contest is scheduled to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on February 12, 2023.

The fight is interesting as Volkanovski is someone who used to walk around as a 200+ pound rugby player. He even fought at welterweight at one point in his professional career. The Australian fighter has punching power and fights with extreme accuracy and speed.

Islam Makhachev has excellent defensive kickboxing and underrated power. Furthermore, Makhachev has that patented Dagestani wrestling and submission game. It will be interesting to see if Makhachev will be able to hold Volkanovski down. The Australian fighter is technically proficient on the ground and showed his grappling defense against Brian Ortega at UFC 266.

According to the DraftKings Sportsbook odds, Islam Makhachev is a -305 favorite going into the bout against the +225 underdog Alexander Volkanovski.