NEW YORK – Alexander Volkanovski has been putting on size in preparation for his move to lightweight.
UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) is expected to challenge newly crowned lightweight champ Islam Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) next at UFC 284 on Feb. 11 in Perth, Australia.
Volkanovski has fought as high as 170 pounds early in his career, but has found a comfortable and dominant home at 145. Now that he’s looking to capture a second UFC title, Volkanovski has been bulking up.
“We got the dietician (Jordan Sullivan) working on the plan. I’ve got strength and conditioning happening and I’m eating over 4,000 calories a day, which is hard,” Volkanovski told reporters at a news conference in New York on Thursday. “I never thought I’d complain about eating too much food.
“I’m bulking. I’m eating a lot of calories at the moment, so it is good. I’m enjoying it, so I’m going to be pretty stacked fight night.”
An elite grappler, Makhachev took a shot at Volkanovski for his size. But the former rugby player guarantees Makhachev will have a hard time keeping him down and is excited to test him on the feet.
“It’s going to be hard to even get me down and get me exactly where he wants me – flat on my back,” Volkanovski said. “It’s very, very hard to do. I’m very good at scrambling, and again, these short legs are very hard to hold down.
“People want to say he’s well-rounded and things like that. We’ll see if he’s well-rounded, because I’m getting back to my feet and let’s see if his standup is up to what supposedly people are trying to say. Well-rounded? We’ll see, because it’s going to be standup because I know I’m getting back to my feet.”
