There has been an overwhelmingly positive reaction to Alexander Volkanovski stepping up on 11 days notice for a rematch with Islam Makhachev.
The Australian has saved the day, agreeing to replace Charles Oliveira, who has been ruled out after suffering a gruesome cut in a sparring session.
Volkanovski lost against Makhachev in February this year having stepped up a division for a shot at becoming two-weight champion.
The contest was a close one and the Dagestani triumphed on the scorecards, with his challenger desperate for another shot.
He now has that chance, albeit in circumstances that are far from ideal.
Alexander Volkanovski (left) takes on Islam Makhachev on short notice next Saturday
As the news broke of Volkanovski accepting the bout, fans heaped praise on ‘The Great’ on social media.
One wrote: ‘Insane. 11 days notice. What a guy, what a champ.’
Another added: ‘Volkanovski is one of the best professionals in the game. 2 weeks notice for this fight and immediately says yes. Imo [In my opinion] he won the first time they fought too.’
A third echoed those sentiments, writing: ‘Volk is a tougher fight even on short notice imo. He trains year round anyway so it’s not like he’s getting off the couch out of shape.
‘Islam would have ran through Charles again and let’s be real, he’s just the better fighter lol.’
But others offered a word of warning, lamenting the fact that Volkanovski has recently undergone surgery on his left arm.
‘My respect for Alexander Volkanovski has gone up. Accepting a fight with the best fighter in the world imo in short notice with a possibly injured hand so that he could save (and actually improve UFC 294),’ one fan said.
‘I do believe it will be a lot more convincing for Islam this time though.’
UFC boss Dana White said that it took only one phone call for the Aussie to agree to the bout
Volkanovski is the featherweight champion but is desperate to test himself against the best
And another agreed: ‘Not sure Islam needed as many adjustments as Volk, but to me that’s not the real problem.
‘Volko just got out of surgery (he still had stitches in as of a couple of weeks ago). He has to travel to Abu Dhabi, and do his weight cut. Even if he knew a few days ago, it’s too short notice.’
Volkanovski enters the fight as a 2/1 betting underdog but showed in the first fight that he can match Makhachev.
Dana White praised him for being ‘a stud’ in stepping up on late notice and there’s no doubt the card is just as appealing as if Oliveira had made the walk.
Only time will tell if the 35-year-old challenger has bitten off more than he can chew.
Charles Oliveira revealed the nasty cut from sparring that has ruled him out of UFC 294
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