Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski face off for the first time in Australia

Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski partook in a face-off against one another for the first time in Australia. Reigning UFC lightweight champion Makhachev is scheduled to defend his title against the No.1-ranked pound-for-pound UFC fighter and current UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Their highly-anticipated super-fight will headline the UFC 284 event, which will take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on February 12. The consensus is that the Makhachev-Volkanovski showdown is one of the biggest fights of the 2023 calendar year, as Makhachev's lightweight belt and 'Volk's' pound-for-pound throne are both at stake.

Additionally, Islam Makhachev is on a dominant 11-fight win streak, while Alexander Volkanovski is on an incredible 22-fight win streak.

Needless to say, the MMA community is truly excited about the upcoming clash. The hype surrounding the matchup seemingly reached another crescendo when both athletes recently participated in a face-off with each other in Volkanovski's native Australia.

As seen in the videos and photos of the face-off that are making the rounds online, Russia's Makhachev appears to be towering over 'Volk'. The duo seemed to be talking to each other during the face-off but ensured that they were cordial as they posed for the cameras.

Watch Makhachev and Volkanovski's face-off in the video below:

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Javier Mendez is unsure if Islam Makhachev can finish Alexander Volkanovski on the mat

Islam Makhachev is fresh off a spectacular submission victory over Charles Oliveira, who holds the record for the highest number of submission wins in UFC history.

Makhachev is regarded as one of the best grapplers in MMA today. Many foresee the Dagestani fighter's grappling and significant size advantage being Alexander Volkanovski's kryptonite at UFC 284.

Regardless, Islam Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez has consistently suggested that he doesn't see his star student finishing the resilient 'Volk' on the ground. In an interview with Submission Radio, Mendez insinuated that while Makhachev would surely beat Volkanovski, it'll likely be via outpointing the Aussie fighter on the judges' scorecards.

Alexander Volkanovski's impressive submission defense and underrated grappling skills were notably highlighted in his unanimous decision win over BJJ savant Brian Ortega, as he escaped multiple tricky submission holds.

Alluding to the same, Mendez explained:

"[Volkanovski] is good everywhere. Obviously, the ground, we know we're superior there. But he is not so easy to take down, and he's not so easy to submit. So he is a trouble there, not necessarily a huge problem [on the ground]. But can we finish him there? I don't know. He's super strong, I saw when he came to face off with Islam. I saw a pretty big guy, I didn't see Islam dwarfing him other than height-wise."

Watch Mendez's assessment in the video below: