UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski believes one of his recent understudies possesses the best striking on the roster.
Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed the UFC featherweight throne last year at UFC 314 by defeating Diego Lopes in an instant classic. After back-to-back losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, Volkanovski returned to the Octagon in style and proved his detractors wrong.
Volkanovski remains one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world after a second win over Lopes earlier this year at UFC 325. He’s expected to return to the Octagon later this year, likely against top contender Movsar Evloev for his next featherweight title defense.
Volkanovski attended UFC Freedom 250 last weekend as a corner man for one of the top winners at the event. After fighting some of the top strikers in the UFC, including Max Holloway three times, Volkanovski believes his understudy sits alone as the greatest striker on the roster.
Alexander Volkanovski: Mauricio Ruffy is the UFC’s best striker
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Volkanovski blanketed lightweight contender Mauricio Ruffy with high praise after UFC Freedom 250.
“Obviously [Ruffy] didn’t need help with his striking. As I’ve said multiple times this week, even before the fight and especially after it, I truly do believe he’s probably the best striker in the UFC. I do believe that,”
“When it comes to the eye, accuracy, and understanding of the game, it’s next level…not a knock on Chandler, but I just know how good Ruffy is. I knew Chandler would look for the takedowns, but I knew it was going to be hard for him.”
Ruffy earned a brutal knockout win against Michael Chandler on Sunday at UFC Freedom 250. After suffering a submission loss to Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris in September, Ruffy bounced back with a brutal win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 325.
After the Saint-Denis fight, Ruffy sought Volkanovski’s counsel and spent a lot of time in Thailand training with the featherweight champion and his team. As he continues to rise the lightweight rankings, expect Ruffy to continue to be a major part of Volkanovski’s camp.
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