Israel Adesanya backs Alexander Volkanovski to beat Islam Makhachev at UFC 294

Israel Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champion and a friend of Alexander Volkanovski, has given his prediction for the UFC 294 main event. Volkanovski will face Islam Makhachev for the second time for the UFC lightweight title, after accepting the fight on 11 days’ notice. Adesanya said he believes Volkanovski will pull off an upset and knock out Makhachev.

Adesanya compared Volkanovski’s situation to the movie 8 Mile, where the protagonist has to overcome a tough challenge in front of a hostile crowd. He said Volkanovski felt he was robbed by the judges in their first fight, which took place in Makhachev’s home country of Russia, and now he has a chance to prove himself.

“This is what f*cking legends are made of… I honestly believe he’s gonna do it. I think he’s gonna finish him,” Adesanya continued. “What I’m really feeling is that this is his moment, where he does this with the cojones… Finishes Makhachev, sends him into a different stratosphere.

Everyone has to respect, like, ‘Yo, Volk is that dude, Volk is that guy.’ … Now he knows what he brings… He doesn’t have to worry about, ‘I need to last with this guy.’ … I honestly think third round, maybe even second round, Volk’s gonna finish him. Catch him with a shot and ground-and-pound into a finish.”

Can Volkanovski do the impossible and win against Makhachev. Comment and let us know.