Islam Makhachev Reacts to Volk's Vegeta Hairstyle

Alexander Volkanovski, who prefers to keep his head shaved, looks almost unrecognisable with his new blonde wig. The UFC Featherweight Champion is wearing a wig as part of his role as Joe, a blonde kickboxing champion, in the upcoming Street Fighter movie, set to release on Oct. 16. Volkanovski recently shared behind-the-scenes footage from the film.

Islam Makhachev Reacts to Volkanovski's Wig

Pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev, who has defeated "The Great" twice inside the Octagon, has reacted to Volkanovski's unexpected yet hilarious transformation. Makhachev had a short but cheeky reaction, potentially suggesting that with this hairstyle, Volkanovski might finally turn the tables and beat him three times. Makhachev commented:

"2-3"

Despite being rivals inside the octagon, Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski share a good friendship outside it. After knocking the Australian out cold at UFC 294, Makhachev sent gifts to Volkanovski’s children to show that there was no rivalry between them outside the cage. The Russian has also invited Volk to Dagestan to train.

What’s Next For Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski?

In the past, after being knocked out by Islam Makhachev in their rematch, "The Great" wanted to run it back a third time, but now, that’s not possible as Makhachev has moved up to welterweight, where he is the undisputed champion.

Volkanovski also managed to recapture the featherweight belt last year, and later this month at UFC 333, he will defend it against Movsar Evloev. Speaking on the Precision Podcast, the 38-year-old said he has plans to finish Evloev, but if things don’t play out well and he takes massive damage in the fight and loses the title, he said he will retire: 

"I'm in a position where I'm taking in the options. All right, how is the health? The last fight, I was very vocal on that. I was like, 'Look, if I take a lot of damage in that fight, I won't fight. I'll call it.' But I didn't, and that's the same with this. If I take a lot of damage in this fight, all right, we'll call it a day."

I'm not looking to regain the title right now. For me, cut damage. All right, I'm going to be happy. I'm done. I'm sort of taking each fight as I go, and I'm weighing those options. I'm choosing to keep going and going great."

Makhachev made his first 170-pound title defence at UFC 330, where he defeated Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision. He wants to return again before Ramadan 2027 and is expected to take on Team Fighting Nerds’ Carlos Prates.