Conor McGregor has been backed to break his own record for the quickest knockout in a UFC title fight against current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
A year has almost passed since former two-weight champion McGregor's last fight, in which he broke his leg against bitter rival Dustin Poirier in their third encounter. The Irishman has been on the comeback trail ever since and is finally able to use his compromised leg without any issues.
Fans have weighed in on a proposed fight between McGregor and Volkanovski following the 145lb champion's recent title defence against Max Holloway at UFC 276. Volkanovski is unbeaten in over 20 fights and has defended his belt four times, but some fans think McGregor would make easy work of the Australian.
One user said of McGregor's chances in the fight: "Flatlines him within seven seconds to beat his own record for fastest KO in a title fight." Another wrote: "Conor lands that left even if Volkanovski is a better fighter, he got dropped by Max [Holloway] twice."
Who would win - Conor McGregor or Alexander Volkanovski? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
A third commenter weighed in on the matchup by writing: "I don't k now, prime featherweight Conor was absolutely lightning. If Chad Mendes and Max could drop Volk. You never know. Volk is just insane right now though, would be a good scrap."
McGregor took the featherweight division by storm when he was signed to the UFC almost a decade ago. The Irishman won five consecutive fights before clinching the interim title against Chad Mendes, going on to dethrone longtime champion Jose Aldo by way of a 13-second knockout.
Another fan thinks McGregor could knockout Volkanovski, but the Australian would win if the fight went the distance. "Tricky one. Volk got dropped by Max so it is possible to knockout the man. We all know prime Conor could KO him, but if it's going to be a decision Volk is definitely getting his hand raised," they wrote.
Volkanovski has beaten every UFC featherweight champion in history other than McGregor, which is why he eventually wants to fight the Irishman. "He is the only other champion in my division that I haven't fought yet. It's something that I want, purely because of money and the circus around it, hype and all that s***. he said on the My Mom's Basement podcast.
"I want all the legends in my division, I've taken out most of them. He's one of them as he's held that belt. I want to take out all the guys that have held this belt and leave no one else in this division but me."
