On top of that, he is proud to co-headline International Fight Week’s pay-per-view with fellow ANZAC Israel Adesanya and represent the Oceania region on the highest platform yet.
“This is history being made,” Volkanovski said. “I believe we got a lot of potential on our side of the world, and it will probably happen again, but we’re the first to do it. It’s pretty incredible to have two champions not only from the same area but headlining a card together. It means a lot, and it just adds to the fire for us to really put on a show.”
It’s difficult to think about the last time two of the top pound-for-pound fighters were going at it for a third time, which makes this occasion all the more special. The years following their rematch only added fuel, intrigue and anticipation, and on July 2, Volkanovski expects to answer all questions and put a stamp on this chapter of his exponentially-growing legacy.
“It was already obviously two of the best mixed martial artists going at it,” he said. “Now, we’ve both leveled up and dominated other guys, and now he’s getting another chance. It just adds to the story, as well. It makes this fight even bigger. I definitely think he has improved, but I think I’ve improved more. It’s hard to say someone has improved when I’m not in front of him, whether I put a fire in the belly or something like that, or maybe it was motivation, but that’s still dangerous.
“We’ll see Saturday night how much he has improved, and we’ll see how much I improved.”
