"It's all about the volume" - What can Alexander Volkanovski do to dictate short-notice fight against Islam Makhachev? Dan Hardy answers

Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy has weighed in on whether or not Alexander Volkanovski can cause the upset and defeat Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title on short notice.

Volkanovski accepted the rematch against Makhachev last week following news that Charles Oliveria had suffered an injury that forced him to withdraw from UFC 294.

'The Great' fought the Russian for the 155-pound strap earlier this year, with the pair putting on a Fight of the Year contender that truly lived up to the billing.

Despite the Australian coming up short via unanimous decision, his performance was been widely praised, with 'Alexander the Great' also walking away thinking he'd done enough for the victory.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Dan Hardy broke down the path to victory for Alexander Volkanovski in the rematch. According to Hardy, the Aussie must rely on attacking the lead leg and the volume of his strikes. He explained:

"The inside low-kick, even though it's bone to bone, it was working really well to destabilize Makhachev's base...It's all about volume for Volkanovski. Damage the lead leg and then show Makhachev he's the faster of the two fighters by using his footwork to move in and out of range. That's an advantage he has over almost everyone in his fights."

Catch Hardy's comments here (10:20):

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Islam Makhachev's coach details path to victory against Alexander Volkanovski

Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski for the second time at UFC 294 on October 21.

It has also been confirmed that 155-pound contender Mateusz Gamrot will also be in Abu Dhabi as the backup fighter for the main-event.

Islam Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez, has sinced weighed in on the drama, and detailed Makhachev's chances against either Alexander Volkanovski or Gamrot.

Speaking to Submission Radio, the award-winning coach highlighted Makhachev's adaptability as to why he isn't phased about facing either fighter. Mendez stated:

“ It doesn’t matter, Islam’s ready to fight anybody. You guys remember, I’ve always said Islam changes directions, just like against [Thiago] Moises. We were walking out and then we changed the gameplan as we’re walking out. Well, that’s cause Islam’s that good. So as long as he’s in shape, he’s healthy and he wants to fight, it doesn’t matter. You know we can game plan, we can change it. We can change it round to round, minute to minute. We can do anything we want with him because he will listen and he will execute.”

Catch Mendez's comments here (5:00):