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Alexander Volkanovski wishes he faced Conor McGregor at 145 pounds: 'I've beat every other champion in the division'

Alexander Volkanovski would have loved to fight Conor McGregor at featherweight, but not for the obvious reasons.

Featherweight champion Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) holds wins over the division’s most notable names, like former champions Jose Aldo and Max Holloway, as well as former title challengers Chad Mendes and Chan Sung Jung.

One of the big names that has eluded him is former featherweight champion McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who moved up in weight after he dethroned Aldo with a 13-second knockout.

“It’s pretty easy for me in saying Conor McGregor because he was in featherweight,” Volkanovski said on The MMA Fan Podcast. “He was a featherweight. We’ve got to remember the champions I’ve beat. I’ve beat every other champion in the featherweight division.

“The only champ I haven’t fought in the featherweight division is Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor in his prime in featherweight division would obviously be the all-time – I’m sure everyone would want to see that right now. If we could make that happen right now, somehow get prime Conor vs. prime Volk, it would be pretty special.”

A fight with McGregor includes more views, which means more money. But Volkanovski insists his desire to have fought McGregor at 145 pounds comes down to legacy.

“Everyone’s going to talk about the money, and that’s why you only want that fight,” Volkanovski said. “Yeah, of course there’s money in it, the circus around it, the hype, all of that. But you talk about legacy, you know then I would have beaten every featherweight champion, and I plan on having the most defenses as well.”

Volkanovski will look to add a new name to his resume when he attempts to unify his belt with interim champ Yair Rodriguez in the UFC 290 headliner on July 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.



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