ABU DHABI – Even if Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev make weight for the UFC 280 headliner, Alexander Volkanovski won’t take his foot off the gas pedal.
Volkanovski, the current UFC featherweight champion, intends to fulfill his obligations as the backup fighter until the moment all possibility of stepping in has gone away, and said he doesn’t intend to relax until Oliveira (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) and Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) are in the octagon for their vacant lightweight title clash.
“It’s happened before,” Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “We’ve had people somehow not be able to fight (on) fight day. I’ll stay as if I could be fighting. Maybe when I’m at the event I’ll hit some people up and say, ‘I’m here. Am I all good?’ Then I’ll have a couple of beers. But until I’m actually in the crowd sitting down is when I can relax a little and maybe have the drink and enjoy the card.”
