The Fight Fan's Argument For Alex Volkanovski as an Underrated GOAT After UFC 325 Win

Alexander Volkanovski isn't a name you hear that often in MMA's Greatest-of-all-Time debate, but after Saturday's UFC 325 card in Sydney, Australia, his name is likely to pop up a little more frequently.

The Aussie hero Volkanovski, a two-time featherweight champion, returned to action in the card's main event. His opponent, who sought to usurp the featherweight throne, was Brazilian-born Mexican Diego Lopes. 

On the surface, this was a risky and mostly pointless rematch for "Volk." He beat Lopes less than a year ago, and had several other fresh contenders to deal with—namely Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev, both of whom are undefeated. As such, the UFC's decision to schedule him for a rematch with Lopes was met with considerable backlash. It seemed like an incredibly risky fight with very little reward. Yet the rewards proved plentiful.

In the end, it was one of the most brilliantly technical performances of the champion's career. A career that—to be clear—has been full of brilliant and technical performances. 

Heading into UFC 325, Volkanovski had not fought since he beat Lopes in Miami last May. Lopes, meanwhile, had since pushed himself back into title contention with a highlight-reel KO over a tough Jean Silva. 

Lopes' win over Silva was impressive enough to create a two-pronged narrative heading into his rematch with the champ in Sydney: Either Volkanovski would win another close but controlled decision, or his age (37) would catch up with him, and the the title would change hands, presumably in violent fashion. 

In the end, neither thing really happened. Instead, Volkanovski drastically improved on his first performance over Lopes to win an even more impressive decision. He switched stances. He landed hugely impactful punches. He completed takedowns and fought off submissions with apparent ease.

The commentators—controversial as they can sometimes be—told the story perfectly this time around.

On the commentary desk for UFC 325 were former champions Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping, alongside tireless play-by-play man Jon Anik. Anik is always brilliant at his job, and part of that brilliance stems from his knowing when to pipe down and let the former champs talk—and talk they did in Sydney.

Cormier and Bisping were clearly moved by Volkanovski's performance from the opening minutes of the fight.  

By the mid-point of round one, Cormier was already heaping praise on the Aussie.

"You can't just box with Alexander Volkanovski," he said, as Lopes punched at air. "Boxing Volk is almost like chasing your own tail." 

In round three, when Volkanovski's victory was looking increasingly inevitable, Bisping applauded the featherweight champ's ability to control the terms of the action.

"They're only in the pocket when he decides," he said of the champ. "The big actions happen when he decides."

By the time we reached the loud silence between rounds four and five, Lopes' corner were adamant that he needed a finish, and Cormier and Bisping were in firm agreement.

"He needs a finish to win this fight," Bisping said, almost mournfully.

Five minutes later, there was no question that the challenger's mission had failed. Despite a few moments of success, he had been outfoxed by a fighter who is often touted as great, but seldom makes the all-time list. 

The truth is, the UFC 325 main event was a pointless rematch, but Volkanovski walked into the cage like it was the biggest fight of his life, and delivered a tactful performance worthy of MMA's greatest chess masters: Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson, and Jon Jones. 

Perhaps fans will still hesitate to mention his name in the same sentences as the ones above. But that seems like a bigger and bigger oversight.

At 37, Volkanovski has already beaten Max Holloway three times—a feat that on its own immediately warrants a Hall-of-Fame spot. He also holds decisive wins over the likes of Jose Aldo, "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung, Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega, Chad Mendes, and now Lopes twice. That resume is arguably better than those of St-Pierre and Johnson, and certainly better than those of other GOAT contenders like Anderson Silva and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

And amazingly, Volkanovski is clearly not done yet.

In his post-fight interview with Cormier, the featherweight legend welcomed fights with Murphy and Evloev, but more importantly, expressed his openness to take on any challenge the UFC deems necessary—even if it happens to be another seemingly pointless rematch. That's just the kind of champion he is.

"We'll see what's next," he said, as the Aussie crowd continued to cheer for him.