Alexander Volkanovski Warns Division Following ‘Korean Zombie’ Victory- ‘I Plan On Doing That To All My Guys’
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has set a precedent following his victory over ‘The Korean Zombie; stating the beating he was able to put on is now going to happen to every else in the division.
Volkanovski was able to stop ‘The Korean Zombie’ in the fourth round, prior to this the division champion had dominated the challenger in the previous three rounds applying a relentless pace and pressure that ‘TKZ’ could not match.
Following his victory, the two men embraced inside of the cage with Volkanovski stating he had nothing but respect for his challenger whilst speaking on SCMP MMA.
“He is a legend of the sport. You go out there and you do your thing, but at the same time, martial arts has always been about discipline and respect.”
“You share the Octagon with someone, usually there’s mutual respect. Even if you guys hate each other – you’ll notice a lot of guys who have beef, it’s squashed after they go and punch each other’s head in for the fight.
“There’s always respect after a fight. But when you respect each other already, and you’re pretty friendly guys, you have even more respect.
Alexander Volkanovski Advises ‘TKZ’ To Not Take Result To Heart
Following the defeat, Jung revealed he is considering retirement after falling short in two title attempts. However, champion Alexander Volkanovski believes he shouldn’t be too hard on himself following their matchup.
“I felt bad for the guy because I know that was probably his last chance.”
“I know he would have been really hurt from it. Not only physically but mentally, knowing he went out there and just did not have an answer. Obviously, he would have felt a little embarrassed.
“But at the same time, I want him to know, no matter who was in front of me that night or from now on, they’re gonna look the same. I don’t want him to take it too much to heart because I plan on doing that to all my guys, all my opponents.”
Alexander Volkanovski showed great respect to his opponent following the bout and despite Jung’s chances of claiming a title is all but gone now the current champion feels that is just a reflection of the high-level competition the division has seen.
“He is a legend of the UFC, of the sport,” Alexander Volkanovski continued. “A fan favorite. One of the legends of this division. Just he wasn’t the champion. We’ve had very dominant champions, so that’s no discredit to him.
“He was always just under the champions. You look at the champions there were, and he was there for three champions – [Jose] Aldo, Max [Holloway] and myself. To be at the top and be just under them for that time through three of the UFC featherweight greatest, that’s still saying something.
“He never got that title but that doesn’t mean he ain’t a legend. It doesn’t mean he can’t fight. There’s just been absolute killers at the top holding this division. We’re in my era right now and it’s gonna be tough for whoever wants to take the belt from me. It’s gonna be hard when I’m in front of them.” (Transcribed by SCMP)
Alexander Volkanovski was able to secure himself another successful title defense this past weekend at UFC 273. Following his success at featherweight, the champion revealed he is weighing up the decisions on whether to make move up to lightweight.
Do you feel it is the right decision for Alexander Volkanovski to move back up to lightweight?
