Alexander Volkanovski keen to replicate Conor McGregor and move up to become double UFC champion

Volkanovski must first defend the UFC featherweight title in a trilogy bout with Max Holloway in July

Alexander Volkanovski has talked up his chances of defeating Charles Oliveira, saying the Brazilian ‘has showed that he can be beat’.

Volkanovski will defend the UFC featherweight title against rival Max Holloway in a trilogy bout in July, while Oliveira last competed in May, when he submitted Justin Gaethje.

That victory came one day after Oliveira had missed weight by half-a-pound, meaning “Do Bronx” was stripped of the UFC lightweight belt before beating Gaethje to establish himself as the division’s official No 1 contender.

In any case, Oliveira is still seen by most fans as the true champion at 155lbs, having won the vacant belt in May 2021 before retaining it last December. The Brazilian has won 10 straight fights and holds the records for most submissions and most finishes in UFC history, but Volkanovski is unbeaten in his last 21 outings.

The Australian has recently discussed the possibility of moving up to lightweight in a bid to become the UFC’s fifth ever dual-weight champion, and a meeting with Oliveira for the vacant gold appeals to Volkanovski.

“When I look at Oliveira, dangerous fighter,” the 33-year-old said at a UFC press conference on Monday. “Dangerous fighter, lot of people love watching him fight, they’re exciting fights. But obviously, he’s showed that he can be beat.

Oliveira beat Justin Gaethje via first-round submission (USA TODAY Sports)

“He’s showed that in his last few [fights], even if they were exciting. He was almost beat every one of those times. The thing is with me, I ain’t gonna give him them opportunities. If I land big on someone, they ain’t gonna get the opportunity to land big on me; that’s not how we roll.

“I plan on going up, moving up. He is dangerous, it’s gonna be a great fight, I think it’s gonna be a massive fight. I definitely believe I can get that double-champ status, but let’s worry about Max.”

Volkanovski won the UFC featherweight title buy outpointing Holloway in December 2019, before doing the same in July 2021 to retain the belt.

The latter of those two victories over the Hawaiian was disputed by many observers, who will welcome the pair’s trilogy contest in the co-main event of UFC 276.