Alexander Volkanovski shares cryptic answer about being back-up for Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway at UFC 308

Alexander Volkanovski suffered his first career defeat at featherweight in his previous clash against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. The Spaniard will now defend the belt against Max Holloway at UFC 308, and fans have been intrigued about Volkanovski's potential appearance at the bout.

With 'The Great' having replaced Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 on less than two weeks notice to face Islam Makhachev, a running joke in the MMA world has become that Volkanovski will replace anyone, anytime, anywhere.

The former featherweight king is currently in Australia to support his friend and teammate Israel Adesanya in his quest to reclaim the middleweight title against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305.

The Sydney native appeared in a fan Q&A, where he was asked if he would replace either Topuria or Holloway on short-notice at UFC 308. He said:

"I reckon I'll be there, you know what I mean. I'm usually hanging around, pestering my managers and the matchmakers. I'm always hanging around, you can't get rid of me. I'll be there."

Watch Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (9:12):

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Alexander Volkanovski backs Max Holloway's chin against Ilia Topuria's power

Alexander Volkanovski's incredible featherweight title run was ended in abrupt fashion at UFC 298 by Ilia Topuria, who secured a second-round knockout win.

'The Great' faced the surging contender less than four months after being knocked out against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, and concerns were expressed that Volkanovski had returned from his clash with Makhachev too soon.

Following his loss to 'El Matador', the former champion opted to take an extended break from competition to fully recover from successive concussions.

Topuria will now take on Max Holloway in his first title defense, a man regarded as having arguably the best chin in MMA history. The Spaniard is confident that he will be the first man to break Holloway's chin, but 'The Great' is less certain, and said this during a recent interview with TheMacLife:

"Max has proven himself time and time again. That chin. Ilia, he's got some power in his hands, his only chance of winning would be to catch [Holloway], I believe. That's no disrespect [to Topuria], Max has proven himself. We know his got that crazy granite chin. If your biggest bet is trying to take that chin out, good luck... That's a tough fight for Ilia."

Watch Alexander Volkanovski's interview below (11:20):