Michael Bisping Explains Why Alexander Volkanovski Deserves More Respect Than Islam Makhachev

Alexander Volkanovski lost his UFC featherweight title to Ilia Topuria via second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February 2024, ending his first championship reign. Before that, he had suffered a brutal loss to Islam Makhachev in his bid for the lightweight belt. However, the Australian reclaimed the vacant belt by defeating Diego Lopes at UFC 314 and later defended it against Lopes in a five-round war. Most recently, at UFC 333, the featherweight champion faced the undefeated Movsar Evloev in the toughest fight of his career and defeated him via TKO in the second round.

Michael Bisping Takes Aim At Islam Makhachev For Picking Fights While Praising Alexander Volkanovski

Michael Bisping praised Alexander Volkanovski for staying active and being willing to fight anyone. He called Volkanovski a true fighter who never backs down from a challenge. Bisping also took a shot at Islam Makhachev for fighting only once a year. Talking about it in a recent video, the UFC veteran said,

"He's a fighter's fighter . He steps up. He stays busy. He's not one of these guys doing an Islam, fighting once a year and then picking and choosing who he fights and letting contenders face one another.”

Meanwhile, the Australian fighter recently turned 38, but his performance in the cage still looks like he is in his prime. Everyone is praising the featherweight champion for taking a fight against a young contender, and it was also revealed that Volkanovski had the flu before the fight.

Daniel Cormier Compares Alexander Volkanovski To Michael Jordan After UFC Champion Fights Through Illness

Daniel Cormier joked that Alexander Volkanovski had his own Michael Jordan "flu game" moment after noticing him coughing following his fight, while Volkanovski's coach suggested he was dealing with allergies or something similar. During his post-fight talk, ‘DC’ said:

“The guy’s coughing and everything right now. He might be sick. Hey, come on, man. He’s coughing and he fought like that. They said it’s the Michael Jordan flu game.”

Cormier was impressed that the featherweight champion managed to perform at such a high level despite showing symptoms. Everyone is impressed by the performance, and Volkanovski is now looking for a retirement fight at lightweight against Justin Gaethje. Nothing is confirmed yet, but fans will definitely want to see him get a good farewell fight.