Alexander Volkanovski questions what UFC 325 does for his legacy

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has discussed whether or not defeating Diego Lopes for a second time will do much for his legacy in mixed martial arts.

This weekend, Alexander Volkanovski will defend the UFC featherweight championship against Diego Lopes. It’s the same matchup from last year that saw ‘The Great’ capture the belt for the second time, leaving many to wonder why the UFC didn’t go in the direction of Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy challenging for the strap instead.

Of course, Alexander Volkanovski is going to go out there and fight regardless of the opponent, because that’s just the kind of guy he is. He absolutely loves a challenge, and one thing we know to be true is that Diego Lopes is going to put everything he’s got into trying to win the title in Sydney.

In a recent interview, though, Alexander Volkanovski acknowledged that beating Lopes again may not do a whole lot for his overall MMA legacy.

Alexander Volkanovski looks ahead to UFC 325

“Some people might have wanted to see me against maybe a Movsar, an undefeated guy, maybe for legacy reasons and people that are in the know, but then you’ve got everyone that still just want to watch me fight,” Volkanovski told ESPN Australia.

“They’re like, ‘Oh this is going to be exciting’, last time was exciting. Now we get to have this in Sydney so I think they’re all in for a treat.

“But yeah, obviously legacy-wise, having a rematch against someone I just beat, is it going to be doing so much for my legacy? Probably not.”

Quotes via Bloody Elbow

Whether he wins or not, nobody can deny that Volkanovski will forever be remembered as one of the best featherweights to ever do it – and he has earned that distinction.