Dustin Poirier says Alexander Volkanovski is a “little undersized” for lightweight, believes he still has a shot against Islam Makhachev
Former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier believes 145-pound king Alexander Volkanovski will have a size disadvantage against 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 284.
The two champions will square off for the UFC lightweight title on Feb.11 in Perth, Australia. Volkanovski will move up in weight to attempt to become a two-division champion and defend his No.1 pound-for-pound UFC ranking.
During an interview with BroBible, Poirier spoke about the upcoming title fight and shared his thoughts about Volkanovski moving up a weight class to fight the bigger Makhachev. He says a size and strength advantage could play a factor in the fight but is sure Volkanovski has the tools to secure a win.
“I think Volkanovski’s going to be a little undersized for 155 pounds, but he can still win it – he could still get it done,” Poirier said. “He’s beat some great 145ers. He beat Max Holloway a few times. We’ll see. But I think he’s just going to be a little undersized compared to Islam. Islam’s big, solid, strong.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Alex Volkanovski Has Fought Bigger Opponents
The 34-year-old has been in undersized matchups in the past. He has beaten Max Holloway, Brian Ortega and The Korean Zombie to name a few. The former rugby player is listed at 5’6 on the ESPN website while Makhachev is at 5’10.
Volkanovski is coming off a unanimous decision win over former champion Max Holloway in their trilogy fight in July. It was the fourth title defense for Volkanovski since winning it in Dec. 2019. Makhachev last defeated Charles Oliveira with an arm-triangle choke in October to win the UFC lightweight title.
