Alexander Volkanovski Rounds Out His List of Top 5 UFC Fighters with Surprising Name

"The Great" recently spent some time answering fan questions on his Youtube channel.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Former Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski shared some love for one of his peers while picking his Top 5 UFC fighters of all time.

"You Can't Deny His Skill"

Considered by some to be the greatest featherweight in the history of the UFC, Volkanovski claimed the belt from fellow divisional great Max Holloway at UFC 245 and defended it five times before being knocked out by Ilia Topuria in his most recent outing at UFC 298.

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The loss put Volkanovski on the first two-fight skid of his career after he moved up to lightweight for a second double-champ bid against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294, and while the 36-year-old has taken some time off after back-to-back knockouts he recently teased that he’s preparing for a return to action next year.

With the UFC currently on break for the holiday season, Volkanovski recently took to his YouTube channel to answer some fan questions and compiled a list of his Top 5 fighters in the history of the promotion.

Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) reacts after defeating Stipe Miocic (not pictured) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

“I’m gonna say Demetrious Johnson,” Volkanovski began. “I’m gonna have to throw Jon Jones in there – everyone knows my take on the trouble outside of [the cage], but I mean he’s just been champ, he’s been at the top forever, you know what I mean? You can’t not [include him]. A lot of people are always gonna throw out them things, and I do myself ‘cause I pride myself on trying to stay away from all the crap as well. But, you can’t deny his skill. He’s definitely one of the greatest of all time."

Jon Jones’ long list of out-of-the-cage transgressions have threatened to derail the future UFC Hall of Famer's fighting career on more than one occasion, but at UFC 309 “Bones” added to his already-impressive legacy when he defeated Stipe Miocic and looks poised for a huge heavyweight title unification bout with Tom Aspinall in 2025.

"The Greatest Striker The UFC's Ever Seen"

Few fans would argue against the inclusion of both Jones and Demetrious Johnson on Volkanovski’s list, and while “The Great” went on to name two other legendary fighters he did round out his Top 5 with a pick that might raise a few eyebrows.

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“So Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre. Georges St-Pierre’s definitely gonna be there…I’m gonna have to throw Anderson Silva in there. I’m gonna throw my boy Israel Adesanya as well. Lot of championships, when it comes to striking I honestly thing he’s the greatest striker the UFC’s ever seen.”

Apr 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Israel Adesanya (blue gloves) during UFC 287 at Miami-Dade Arena. / Rich Storry-Imagn Images

Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva are both already enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame following their incredible careers, and even though Israel Adesanya defended the UFC middleweight belt five times and challenged for the light heavyweight title some fans might be hesitant to include him in that esteemed company with his own career still ongoing.

Volkanovski notably left off another UFC Hall of Famer in former featherweight king Jose Aldo, but "The Great" did defeat the Brazilian back in 2019 to earn his featherweight title shot and also holds three wins against the division’s other biggest name in Holloway.

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