UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski warns Aaron Pico that he’s a different level.
Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) said he’s confident that he has the skillset to knock out Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC), and that the champion has never faced anyone with his wrestling caliber.
Volkanovski, who’s fought the likes of Islam Makhachev, Ilia Topuria, and Max Holloway, is not threatened by Pico’s game.
“You’ve got to think that,” Volkanovski responded to Pico in an interview with FOX Sports Australia. “That’s perfectly fine. Everyone has a puncher’s chance, so he does have big hands. He is an All-American wrestler. But I’ll tell you right now, what’s the bet if we were to wrestle, I’d embarrass him there anyway? That’s the thing. A lot of people want to be like, ‘Oh, I did this, I did that.’ Like I haven’t faced them guys in the gym.
“I’ve faced really, really good wrestlers even much heavier than him, and trust me, I do all right. MMA grappling is my world. I love that. He’s got to have that confidence. I’m not really going to take it serious until he goes and shows me something. You’ve done stuff in your other promotions and whatnot. Come over here, do it here, all right? Then I’ll look into it a little bit more. But yeah, he’s only got a puncher’s chance. I’ll leave it at that.”
Pico makes his octagon debut against Lerone Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event at United Center in Chicago. Volkanovski thinks the winner could end up being his next title challenger.
“It excites me because I reckon I’d crumble him in the wrestling department,” Volkanovski said. “He might be good for one takedown, two takedowns – if he even gets me down, I’m straight back up. Watch him not want to clinch up anymore after that. His best bet is to obviously try and land a big shot. Other than that, I mop the floor with him.”
