Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski has been overlooked for what would have been yet another stunning late call up to a UFC headliner following news that Irish megastar Conor McGregor is injured and will not compete at UFC 303.
Following days of uncertainty surrounding the immediate fighting future of ‘Mystic Mac’, UFC president Dana White has on Friday revealed the Las Vegas headliner between McGregor and Michael Chandler is off.
Instead, the main event will now see UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira defend against Jiri Procházka in a blockbuster rematch, while in the co-main will be a featherweight bout between Brian Ortega and rising star Diego Lopes.
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White revealed American Jamahal Hill has also withdrawn with a knee injury, meaning New Zealand’s Carlos Ulberg will now be taking on light heavyweight favourite Anthony Smith.
All of this comes only days after Australia’s former UFC featherweight champ Volkanovski insisted he would be willing to step up on short notice – again – and face Chandler if McGregor was out.
Taking to social media, White revealed “Conor is out with an injury”, before going on to detail how the International Fight Week card will now shape up.
Earlier this week, Volkanovski told Fox Sports Australia that, should McGregor pull out as was being widely suggested, he would step in and, on late notice, move up in weight to face Chandler.
In October last year, the Wollongong native did exactly that on only 11 days notice to face UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, however was kayoed in the first round by a brutal head kick.
While Volk was confident he had the game to beat Chandler, the UFC has instead removed both fighters from the card – and also changed up the co-main.
Asked only this week if he were serious about stepping in, ‘The Great’ replied: “One hundred per cent.
‘I’m the guy!’: Volk on replacing Conor | 03:47
“I’m only hearing whispers like everyone else, I don’t know the exact situation but if they are in trouble, I let them know I’m the guy to save the day.
“I’ve done it before.
“I wasn’t able to be successful with it but I know what I need to fix with that.
“Last time I couldn’t pull the trigger, but mark my words this time I will.”
And as for how a fight between he and Chandler would go?
Volk calls out Poirier after UFC 302 | 00:45
“It would be a fun one because it’s at 170 as well so I wouldn’t have to cut weight,” he said.
“Again look, he’s a very dangerous fighter but that’s where I think my fight I.Q. would do really well against someone like that.
“He’s a dangerous guy, very exciting guy but stylistically I think he would have a big problems with me to be honest.”
While the loss of McGregor is a devastating blow for UFC fans, Pereira has risen up to be an undeniable superstar in recent years thanks to his incredible ascension to climbing the middleweight and then light heavyweight titles.
At UFC 295 last November, he won the vacant title from Procházka, who also once held the same gold strap, via TKO.
Volkanovski, meanwhile, lost the UFC featherweight crown in his most recent outing against Spaniard Ilia Topuria, and is now readying for a return to the Octagon later this year after recently returning from a training camp in Thailand.
“I’m still working, I’m still doing what I need to do,” he said.
“Me going to Thailand was where I started to switch back (to) that mindset, mentality that I’ve always had.
“I had my first proper spar at the start of the week and with that training camp and then hearing whispers of Conor McGregor, it was crazy because you ask me two weeks ago and I was like, that’s it I’m sitting out .
“But then I started training, picking up that intensity and now I’m like – Dana, Hunter, you need a guy? I know a guy.
“So I’m already there it just shows you I can switch it off but when we switch it on, we switch it on.”
And as for exactly when he still wants that rematch with Topuria?
“That’s the tricky one,” the former champ continued.
“It wasn’t that long ago where I was taking it easy.
“I had conversations with the UFC, told them I want later in the year, and they told me my next fight’s definitely 100% for the title.
“Whether while you’re sitting out we do something before that I’m like ‘ah yeah, all good, no worries’.
“I didn’t think that’d be a problem.
“But now I started training again, maybe I shouldn’t have said that, maybe I have to call them up and say ‘get me in there’.
“We’ll see what happens but if the timing doesn’t work, I’m champing at the bit to get back in there.
“Right now I want to get in there and I want to fight.
“A lot of people ask me ‘what do you really want?’
“Obviously I want the title.
“I want that Ilia rematch, get that win back.
“But not just that, I want to go out there and fight my fight.
“So I’m really looking at getting back in there and being the same guy that I was.
“The last two fights, I wasn’t in a sense where I couldn’t pull the trigger in the first one and in the Ilia one I just didn’t fight my fight.
“I was too worried about getting finished and I got finished.
“If I get finished fighting my fight, all good. No worries.
“So I want to go out there and remind everyone who I am and what I’ve always been.
“That’s important to me right now.
“I don’t want to wait too long.”