Alexander Volkanovski reveals he offered to fight at UFC 303 following Conor McGregor’s withdrawal

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has offered to fight at UFC 303 if the promotion is needed.

UFC 303 was to feature a highly anticipated clash between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor. However, the Irishman suffered an injury and was forced out of the fight and the UFC was reportedly looking for new fights or potential people to replace McGregor.

Meanwhile, Volkanovski says he told the UFC he would replace McGregor and fight Chandler, or fight on the card against whoever they needed.

“I raised my hand, I said, ‘Do you need a guy?’ We all heard the whispers, as you did. He didn’t show up for the press conference and heard rumors that they might be looking for someone to replace him. So I was like, “Hey, if you need someone, you know a guy,” I raised my hand. Obviously, I saw that some people had highlighted it, so it was broadcast. Some people think I’m crazy, but I’m back training now and I can’t wait to get back out there. That’s all it takes, just a little thing like that, and I raised my hand. But it wasn’t me. I did not receive a call back,” Alexander Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel.

“The UFC said, ‘Oh no.’ They were sitting there saying, “You’re a savage, but we’ll let you know if we need you.” They knew I had said that earlier in the year and they said, “Look, let’s take a little break.” So, they obviously respected that, so good for them. Even though I kept reminding them, every day I said, “I’m serious, let me know.” But they stuck to their principles and I guess they took care of me. You have to show them respect for that, but I wanted to save the situation,” added Volkanovski.

As Alexander Volkanovski says, the UFC chose to keep him out so he could take some time off and heal as he said he would after the KO loss to Ilia Topuria. But Volkanovski says he is back in training and could be back in the Octagon soon.

Alexander Volkanovski is 26-4 and just lost his featherweight title after his KO loss to Topuria. Before that, he lost by knockout to Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title.