Is Alexander Volkanovski out of his prime? Will he ever win another fight in the UFC? Is he too old to compete?
If I were to hear these questions a year ago, I’d write them off as a “casual” or uninformed fan’s opinion and think nothing of it. However, the current UFC fanbase seems to believe that Volkanovski will soon be dethroned by his latest dance partner, Ilia “El Matador” Topuria. Despite his countless accolades along with a resume spanning more than 5 years atop the 145-pound division, the MMA community still remains uncertain whether Volkanovski has what it takes to remain champion. While one might think these comments doubting Volkanovski’s ability are unwarranted, I believe they paint a bigger picture in regard to UFC Fans as a whole.
History tends to repeat itself as UFC fans yearn for new prospects to rise up from the rankings and become dominant champions like the stars of old. This new age of MMA fans have a burning desire to latch onto promising fighters and support them relentlessly on their journey to the top. While this feverish support and unwavering dedication is admirable, it certainly can produce inaccurate opinions of the true skill level fighters possess in their current form.
Ilia “El Matador” Topuria is certainly one of those fighters with a fanbase behind him that believes in his ability nearly as much as he believes in himself. El Matador has definitely shown a high level of both striking and grappling in all six of his UFC bouts however his next opponent will truly be his toughest test to date. I too believe Ilia has all of the tools needed to take out the champion however this unfounded criticism of his recent form can be attributed to only one thing- recency bias.
There’s no better example of this phenomenon than Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski’s public perception following his loss to Islam Makhachev via first-round knockout. Despite taking the fight on short notice not to mention at a higher weight class, fans seem to believe Volk is at the tail-end of his career. The stark contrast between now and just one year ago truly highlights our susceptibility to recency bias as well as our inability to accurately analyze a fighter prior to their last bout. Fans have long been prone to sway toward the extreme end of opinion when presented with the challenge of determining the outcome of a fight. There can be no “middle ground” when it comes to their prediction of how a matchup will unfold however this can paint an inaccurate picture of just how close a fight will be once those octagon doors close.
Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 is one of those matchups that is truly impossible to predict but certainly will still be a highly competitive & enjoyable affair no matter the outcome. In reality, Volkanovski is by no means not a washed-up champion with no chance at retaining his title. The body of work he has amassed whilst running through the Featherweight division can only be described in one word: Legendary. Has he gotten older? Yes. However, the correlation between age and regression of skills is certainly not as linear as you might think. Time may be the undisputed champion of us all but every fighter has a puncher’s chance.
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