As with many professional combat athletes, Alexander Volkanovski has a completely unwavering sense of self-belief.
The Aussie featherweight champion has a tall task ahead of him at UFC 298, where he plays matador to the undefeated Spaniard Ilia Topuria. A victory here would not only cement Volkanovski's legacy, but he would also be the first male fighter aged 35+ to win a title fight below welterweight in the history of the UFC.
With a record-defying victory at UFC 298, "The Great" firmly believes he could challenge "much higher divisions":
"I believe I can move up in multiple divisions," Volkanovski told ESPN. "I believe I can beat some high-level guys at these much higher divisions --- is it gonna be easy? No. But can I do it? Yeah. One-hundred percent I believe in myself."
Volkanovski has tempered expectations about getting an Islam Makhachev trilogy, and would expect to face other contenders to earn another shot:
"Of course, I wanna move up," Volkanovski said. "I'm gonna be real with it, I can't expect [another rematch with Islam Makhachev], after what happened. .... I definitely still wanna chase that lightweight division, it just needs to make sense. .... If it means I've got to fight someone else in that division, [I'm] more than happy to."
Volkanovski isn't the only one fueled by ambition; Topuria is also eyeing legacy-defining fights after UFC 298. "El Matador" boldly challenged Conor McGregor for a blockbuster PPV event in Spain. Topuria even teased McGregor with the prospect of a 'red panty night' should he seize the opportunity.
"We’re both from Europe, and he will be able to go back home and tell his wife, ‘Baby, take out the red panties. Topuria kept us rich," Topuria said on The MMA Hour.
If you use any quotes from this article, please leave an H/T to MMAKnockout.com for the transcription.
More must-reads: