It s not just talk with him - Chael Sonnen explains why Alexander Volkanovski walking the walk is winning him over ahead of UFC 280 Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Approve Reject & ban Delete Logout

It s not just talk with him - Chael Sonnen explains why Alexander Volkanovski walking the walk is winning him over ahead of UFC 280

Alexander Volkanovski (left), Chael Sonnen (right) Ahead of UFC 280 on Saturday, heaped praise on featherweight champion for proving that he's ready to step up and fight for the lightweight strap on short notice. The event, held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, is to be headlined by and with the coveted 155lb title on the line. Potentially on route to becoming one of the biggest pay-per-views in company history, UFC 280 features a handful of desired matchups that fans cannot wait to watch unfold. Speaking about the 145er winning him over, Chael Sonnen highlighted Alexander Volkanovski's commitment to step in against one of the toughest fighters on the roster just eight weeks out from surgery. "This Volk guy, man. He's winning me over a very, very big way. It's not just talk with him, if it was just talk, him eight-weeks removed from a hand surgery would not be in 'Fight Island', 24 hours away from getting on scale, while licensed. The gig is up [of pretending he's all talk] and you see that sometimes you don't want to admit [it]." 'The Great' was preferred over Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot to be the replacement option given one of the main event fighters pulled out before fight night. This goes to show how high the UFC are on the Australian. Although it looks like Charles Oliveira and are all set to compete against one another, Dana White has already confirmed that the featherweight king will be gifted the next shot at the lightweight throne. Check out what Chael Sonnen had to say about Alexander Volkanovski in the video below.

Alexander Volkanovski s history at lightweight

Despite spending most of his time at featherweight since joining the UFC, has had some history fighting in multiple weights, with 155lbs being one of them. In his debut with the promotion, the 34-year-old scored a TKO victory over Yusuke Kasuya, a Japanese lightweight with a dangerous submission threat. Just two fights later, the #1 pound-for-pound star met Shane Young in a catchweight bout at 150lbs. Prior to signing with the UFC, Volkanovski fought four times at lightweight, scoring two submission victories and two knockout victories in that time. While he isn't the most experienced at the weight during his time in the octagon, he still has a history of knowing what it's like to carry the extra pounds into the cage. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Thank You! Show More Comments No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Logout No Results Found