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New pound-for-pound King Islam Makhachev says he is the best fighter in the world after beating Alexander Volkanovski.
In the main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 284 edition, Russian professional mixed martial artist Islam Makhachev defeated Australian Alexander Volkanovski.
At the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, Makhachev needed all five rounds to record a unanimous decision victory against Volkanovski in the early hours of Sunday, February 12, 2023.
The judges scored the fight 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 in Makhachev's favor after a back and forth five rounds.
The victory means that Volkanovski fails at his attempt to become a double UFC champion while Makhachev retains his lightweight title.
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Islam Makhachev boasts after victory against Alexander Volkanovski
Following the victory, Volkanovski praised Makhachev for a tough fight and hinted at a possible rematch.
He said, "Congrats to Islam, he didn't respect my grappling but maybe I didn't respect his striking so fair play to him.
"Nothing wrong with challenging yourselves, you do it like this and it only makes you stronger.
"I came up short tonight but Islam is a great fighter, maybe we will do it again."
Makhachev came into the fight ranked number two on the pound-for-pound list and victory takes him above Volkanovski.
After the fight, Makhachev stressed that he is the best fighter not only in the UFC but in all of the combat sports.
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He said, "This was such a hard opponent, I needed a tough fight as I had to improve," Makhachev said after the fight.
"I thought he was going to be easy on the ground, but this guy improved a lot. I showed why I'm number one, you like or you don't like I am the best fighter in the world right now."
Makhachev after a first title defense against Volkanovski now takes a break and is expected to return to the Octagon later in the year against an opponent from the lightweight division.
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