Sean O’Malley believes Alexander Volkanovski’s cardio might not hold up against Islam Makhachev after accepting the rematch on short notice.
On Saturday, October 21, Volkanovski looks to shock the world by dethroning Makhachev of the UFC lightweight title on less than two week’s notice.
It’ll be easier said than done, as ‘The Great’ is undoubtedly in shape, but he hasn’t endured a brutal training camp like his Russian counterpart.
During a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow, UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley was discussing the UFC 294 main event with his coach Tim Weah.
While breaking down the short-notice fight, O’Malley had this to say about Volkanovski’s conditioning:
“Volks throws some f*cking power, dude, and he knows he doesn’t have twenty-five minutes in him. If he’s like, ‘I got fifteen minutes of h*ll or I’m gonna get finished,’ that’s a dangerous motherf*cker. That’s kind of how I was going into that Aljo [Sterling] fight.”
O’Malley continued by mentioning the possibility of Volkanovski not being as durable if his cardio isn’t prepared for a five-round title fight:
“Or is he not going to be in as good of shape and get clipped and not be able to recover as fast? Part of recovering so fast, and you see these guys get clipped and recovered fast, is how good of shape they’re in. Islam very well could clip f*cking Volk. He’s sharp, he’s a good southpaw.”
Sean O’Malley reveals his predictions for the UFC 294 co-main event and main event
Anything can happen once the Octagon doors close. Yet, the general consensus in the MMA community seems to be that Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman could struggle because of their short-notice preparations.
As for Sean O’Malley, he agrees that Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev have a massive advantage due to their extended training camps. The UFC bantamweight king had this to say during the previously-mentioned episode of the TimboSugarShow:
“If he comes off the couch like he said and fights five rounds like that, I’ll be like what the f*ck…I don’t make predictions. No, I think Islam and Khamzat both finish.”
Regardless of what people think, Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman shouldn’t be overlooked heading into UFC 294. Both fighters have solidified themselves as legendary world champions and now have an opportunity to extend their legacies.
Only time will tell if Volkanovski and/or Usman can pull off the upset inside the Etihad Arena on Saturday.
Watch the entire episode of the TimboSugarShow below:
