Aussie UFC champ Alex Volkanovski wants mega fight with Conor McGregor

UFC featherweight king Alex Volkanovski is prepared to put on 11kg to get a career-defining fight with former two-division champion Conor McGregor.

The Aussie – who takes on Chan Sung Jung in Florida on Sunday, Australian time – said he will climb up as high as welterweight to land a bout with the Irishman, who broke his leg in a knockout loss to Dustin Poirier last July.

Beating McGregor would be an incredible milestone for Volkanovski, who has already triumphed over featherweight champs Jose Aldo and Max Holloway.

‘So I beat McGregor and I’ve taken them all,’ he told the Daily Telegraph.

‘I’ve never really talked about legacy. Never thought too much about it. But now I’m changing my whole view on this.

‘I want my name written into the history books. I want people to remember me. That’s really driving me now.’

Volkanovski – pictured during his win over Brian Ortega last September – wants to beat McGregor, the only other UFC featherweight champ he hasn’t recorded a victory over

McGregor has stacked on several kilos of muscle since his loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, leading many experts to believe he’s best suited to the welterweight division

McGregor became the undisputed featherweight king when he smashed Aldo 13 seconds into their December 2015 fight.

He made history by adding the lightweight belt to his trophy cabinet by stopping Eddie Alvarez in the second round at UFC 205 in November 2016.

However, McGregor has put on several kilos of muscle since his last fight, when he broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July last year. 

Volkanovski (with Brian Ortega) now says he wants his ‘name written in the history books’ – and there’s no better way to do that than by beating the first man to hold titles in two UFC divisions at the same time

McGregor would love to walk into a welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman as he returns from a layoff after breaking his leg in his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier 

Many experts now believe he’s now best suited to welterweight, at which he’s fought three times before, and McGregor himself said the 77kg division is ‘nice for me’ last September. 

The Irishman remains the only other UFC featherweight champ the 31-year-old Aussie hasn’t beaten. 

Volkanovski is a huge favourite to beat ‘Korean Zombie’, paying just $1.13 with the TAB.

If he wins that bout, a third clash with Max Holloway is expected to follow.

The former rugby league player has predicted he’ll finish Zombie within three rounds.

‘Which isn’t me trying to hype up the fight. Just as I’m not saying it to prove people wrong,’  he said.

‘I want to finish Zombie because I know I can. It’s what I now expect of myself.’