Alexander Volkanovski says Conor McGregor is going to get “melted” — and then finished — in his blockbuster return to the Octagon at UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
The prediction comes as ‘The Great’ has also urged punters to consider a bet paying almost $13 in Sunday’s hyped headliner between McGregor and fellow UFC superstar Max Holloway.
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And in a surprise twist, Volkanovski’s newest stablemate, Brazilian Mauricio Ruffy, has also taken a leaf from the Australian’s famed playbook by offering to assume the role of backup fighter for the return of ‘Mystic Mac’.
After having spent five years out of the cage, 37-year-old McGregor is now finally returning on a stacked card that also sees Australia’s first UFC champion Robert Whittaker throwing down against Nikita Krylov.
For the fighting Irishman, it will be his first showing since suffering a gruesome leg against Dustin Poirier way back at UFC 264.
Sunday’s headliner also doubles as a rematch with Holloway, although their first bout did come 13 years ago – before either fighter had evolved into a UFC legend — with McGregor winning via unanimous decision.
Currently, Holloway is the strong betting favourite, with oddsmakers like Sportsbet currently showing the Hawaiian favourite at $1.43.
McGregor, meanwhile, opened as a $3.30 underdog, but has since firmed a little into $2.86.
Speaking on the UFC 329 Countdown show however, the Irish megastar predicted a knockout victory over Holloway in Las Vegas, an outcome currently paying $3.80.
While plenty are questioning how much McGregor has left — especially after suffering such a devastating injury against Poirier — the former two-division champ insists he is now returning a “different animal”.
“You do not want to be anywhere inside that Octagon with me,” McGregor said. “I am dangerous everywhere. I can knock you unconscious from everywhere inside that Octagon, and that’s what I plan to do.”
McGregor also then warned: “There’s a different animal entirely that is in front of Max Holloway here, and he’s gonna feel every bit of it.”
Speaking on his popular Youtube channel over the weekend however, Volkanovski differed when not only offering up his prediction for the fight, but giving a sneaky option for punters looking to win big.
“I’m going with Max Holloway for the win,” the UFC featherweight champ said.
“Can it be a finish? One hundred per cent.
“If Max gets you tired, he’s so good at going in for the kill. He’s even getting much better in the pocket – we’ve seen him (against) Justin Gaethe, firing bombs and dodging punches amongst that brawl.
“I think he’s just going to be too much for Conor, and you’re going to see Max get his hand raised, maybe even getting a finish.
“Max Holloway for the win, 100 per cent.”
Soon after, Volkanovski added that Holloway winning by submission – a $12.50 option on Sportsbet was also great value.
“Can Holloway hurt McGregor, get him to the ground and maybe get a submission? You could maybe see that as well,” Volk continued.
“When people crumble and get really tired, there’s always a submission there.
“Gamble responsibly. But there’s probably good, good coin for a submission over a TKO, if you wanted a sneaky bet.
“Because Holloway will melt him, and when he’s melted, is a submission going to be the way to go? Maybe we see that.”
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Meanwhile, Volkanovski’s new stablemate Mauricio Ruffy has effectively taken a leaf straight from the Australian’s famed playbook by offering to move up and assume the role of backup fighter for McGregor’s return.
Only last month, Volk cornered the Brazilian lightweight contender in his massive UFC White House win over Michael Chandler.
And now it seems that more than simply training out of Volkanovski’s gym in Wollongong, Ruffy has decided to mimic the Australian favourite whose own rise to superstardom came amid backup offers and taking huge challenges on short notice.
On Sunday, Ruffy posted an Instagram video announcing he is available to be a backup for UFC 329, which will see the two headliners competing at the UFC welterweight limit of 170 pounds (or 77.1kg).
“I made myself available for the Conor McGregor fight and Max Holloway,” Ruffy said. “I’m going on a trip to Las Vegas.
“I took good care of myself. These guys made me train halfway through my vacation. This fight will take place in the [170-pound] division, so let’s see here how much weight I kept. I have to tell you, that was the time I gained the most weight.”
Ruffy then steps on the scales and records 84.2 kg, meaning he needs to lose seven kilos for an opportunity he stresses could result in a huge boilover.
“Me against Conor McGregor, I believe it would be a very good fight,” Ruffy said. “I think a fight I would have made easier by the fact of rhythm and everything else, right? Always having the dangers of the fight.
“But I believe it would be a really cool fight against Max Holloway and I believe in my knockout power. He’s a guy who doesn’t seek to play forward there all the time, but I go there to define the fights and I don’t miss my chances.
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“It would be really cool to see this fight happen. I’m going, let’s see what happens.”
The 30-year-old weighed in at exactly 155 pounds for the Chandler fight, and is 5-1 in the UFC, earning four via KO.