07 July 2023 , 18:51
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UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski believes YouTube star Logan Paul will eventually compete in MMA.
Paul, 28, competed at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics in wrestling and his skills to the test in a training session with Volkanovski and fellow UFC champion Israel Adesanya. Paul announced the pair had become the first two fighters to be signed to his immensely Prime Energy drink, which he owns along with fellow YouTuber KSI.
Prime is also the official sports drink sponsor of the UFC, meaning Paul has a good relationship with the organisation's president Dana White. Paul's combat sports experience and business ventures have linked him to a UFC move and he vowed to make his debut in the promotion for free if a heavily-discussed fight between tech bosses Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg does come to fruition.
Speaking with Mirror Fighting about Paul's MMA switch, Volkanovski said of the potential move: "Yeah I reckon so. Having that wrestling background and obviously having that boxing [experience] too. I definitely reckon he plans on eventually doing that.
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"First it would be about getting the right fight. Having the wrestling background goes a long way and knowing that he's been training striking for a long time, I definitely see him being able to go in the UFC and fight someone which would be massive."
Paul has been calling for a fight against UFC star Paddy Pimblett, but it would be unlikely to take place given their weight difference. 'The Baddy' competes at 155lb in the promotion whilst Paul has tipped the scale above 190lb for his boxing fights, the last of which took place against ring legend Floyd Mayweather over two years ago.
Volkanovski looks to keep his unbeaten featherweight run intact this Saturday when he defends his belt against interim champion Yair Rodriguez in the main event of UFC 290. 'The Great' has brought into taekwondo legend Carl van Roon to help him prepare for Rodriguez's unique striking style and he spoke highly of the multiple-time world champion.
"We've known Carl for a while, he trains over in New Zealand and sometimes at City Kickboxing as well. I know him pretty well and I've been lucky enough to have him in camp. When you talk about someone that is so good with kicks and range - all the stuff that Yair will like to throw especially at range - there is nobody better than Carl van Roon," he said.