Daniel Cormier: Alexander Volkanovski defeating Islam Makhachev would be biggest UFC upset ever
A far as Daniel Cormier is concerned, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will hold claim to the biggest upset in history if he’s successful at UFC 284.
Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC), who has four defenses of his 145-pound title, will move up to challenge for his second belt when he meets lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) in the pay-per-view main event in his home country of Australia.
A former teammate of Makhachev’s, Cormier long touted him as a future champion, which Makhachev fulfilled when he ran through and submitted Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound title at UFC 280. Cormier sees him holding Volkanovski down on the mat too.
That’s why, if Volkanovski wins, Cormier says it’ll surpass Julianna Peña’s submission of Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 as his biggest upset in UFC history.
“In my opinion, Volkanovski wins this fight, it’s the biggest,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “It’s bigger than anything we’ve seen because, I’m telling you, when you get into the details of this matchup, it seems a very hard match for Volkanovski to win, because his skillset is almost catered for a guy like Makhachev because of Makhachev’s ability to stand and also his size.
“Volk is a very big guy. Remember, we’ve spoken ad nauseam about how big he was when he played rugby, but that doesn’t matter. He’s still shorter. Because he’s shorter it makes for Makhachev to use the leverage against Volkanovski. I believe that this would be the biggest upset in mixed martial arts history.”
According to DraftKings, Makhachev is a -325 favorite, with Volkanovski a +270 underdog.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s even hub for UFC 284.