Volkanovski has arrived in Miami looking more ripped and ready than we’ve ever seen, with the Australian keen to put his back-to-back knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria behind him.
Speaking to the press during his media day session in Miami, Volkanovski admitted that there will be doubters as he prepares to recapture the featherweight title he previously held for four years.
The former champ is aware of why those doubts exist and understands it. But said that he’ll simply prove to the world that those doubts are unfounded as he looks to become a two-time featherweight champion by defeating Brazil’s Diego Lopes in Saturday night’s main event at Kaseya Center.
“A lot of people are doubting me, but like usually, I’ll be a bit spiteful about it, if that makes sense,” he said.
“But now I’m going, ‘Yeah, I get why you think that, but I’m [gonna] show ya!’
“So, I still have that something to prove, but I’m not angry about it, if that makes sense. It’s like yeah, I’m gonna prove it to myself, and I’m gonna prove it to the world.”
Volkanovski has worked hard in training camp to get himself in tip-top shape for his bout with Lopes, and his appearances during fight week have shown him to be in incredible condition.
“This is the leanest I’ve ever been,” he explained.
“My percentage body fat, to be honest, I think it would definitely be the lowest it’s ever been. It’s 16 weeks of just hard camp and real discipline. Didn’t have a drop of alcohol the whole 16 weeks – not even a cheat meal. So I guess you could say I went above and beyond.
“The work ethic is always there for me, right? The intensity in training. Physically, I’m always putting it in. You’re never going to top that, because I’m always topping it. I can’t go any harder than what I do.”
At the age of 36, Volkanovski knows that he’s now entering veteran territory, with the clock ticking on his fighting prime. But, after leaving no stone unturned in his preparation for his long-awaited return, he’s ready to deliver a career-defining performance.
“I’ve never been in this situation before,” he admitted.
“I’ve never come off such a big break. I’ve never come off two losses. So it’s definitely the biggest fight of my career.
“Everyone’s gonna go, ‘Oh yeah, you’ve done enough.’ But I haven’t. I can do a lot more, and it starts this weekend. It starts on Saturday with this new title reign.
“When you talk about legacy, it doesn’t get much bigger than this. The comeback is going to be real. This is s**t people write books about, and movies about.”
